Carson Wentz facts for kids
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Wentz in 2022
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | December 30, 1992 Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 237 lb (108 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Century (Bismarck, North Dakota) | ||||||||||||
| College: | North Dakota State (2011–2015) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2016 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2024 | |||||||||||||
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Carson James Wentz (born December 30, 1992) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the North Dakota State Bison. There, he helped his team win two national championships.
Wentz was chosen second overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2016 NFL draft. This made him the highest-drafted player ever from the FCS college league. His best season was in 2017. He led the Eagles to a top spot, but got injured late in the season. Even so, the Eagles went on to win their first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl LII with backup quarterback Nick Foles. Wentz also earned Pro Bowl honors that year. After his time with the Eagles, he played for the Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Rams, and Kansas City Chiefs.
Contents
- Early Life and High School Sports
- College Football Career
- Professional Football Career
- NFL Career Statistics
- Career Achievements and Awards
- Personal Life and Interests
- Images for kids
- See also
Early Life and High School Sports
Carson Wentz was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. When he was three, his family moved to North Dakota. He played many sports at Century High School in Bismarck.
- He played quarterback and defensive back in football.
- He also played basketball and baseball.
- Before high school, he played ice hockey, inspired by his older brother.
Wentz was 5 feet 8 inches tall as a freshman. He grew to 6 feet 5 inches by his senior year. He graduated in 2011 as the top student in his class.
College Football Career
Wentz went to North Dakota State. In his first season (2011), he was a "redshirt" player. This means he practiced but did not play in games. His team, the Bison, won their first college championship that year.
Becoming a Backup Quarterback
In 2012, Wentz was the backup quarterback. He played his first college game on September 22. He completed all eight of his passes for 93 yards. He also threw his first touchdown pass. He finished the season with 12 completions for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
He was still the backup in 2013. He played in 11 games. His best game was against Delaware State. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.
Starting Quarterback and Championships
Wentz became the starting quarterback in 2014. In his first start, he helped the Bison win 34–14. He also caught a 16-yard touchdown pass in one game. His best game that season was against the Missouri State Bears. He threw for 247 yards and five touchdowns.
He led NDSU to a great 15–1 record. In January 2015, he played in his first national championship game. He passed for 287 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 87 yards and scored a touchdown. NDSU won their fourth straight championship, 29–27. Wentz started all 16 games in 2014. He completed 228 passes for 3,111 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 642 yards and six touchdowns.
In 2015, Wentz had a career-high 335 passing yards in one game. The next week, he broke his wrist but finished the game. He missed eight weeks after surgery. He returned for the national championship game in January 2016. He led the Bison to their fifth straight FCS title. He ran for two touchdowns and threw for one. He was named the game's Most Outstanding Player for the second year in a row.
Wentz also did very well in school. He graduated with a 4.0 grade point average. He was twice named an Academic All-American.
College Statistics
| Season | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |
| North Dakota State Bison | ||||||||||||
| 2011 |  Redshirt |
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| 2012 | 12 | 16 | 75.0 | 144 | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 191.9 | 5 | 22 | 4.4 | 1 |
| 2013 | 22 | 30 | 73.3 | 209 | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 142.9 | 10 | 70 | 7.0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 228 | 358 | 63.7 | 3,111 | 8.7 | 25 | 10 | 154.1 | 138 | 642 | 4.7 | 6 |
| 2015 | 130 | 208 | 62.5 | 1,651 | 7.9 | 17 | 4 | 152.3 | 63 | 294 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Career | 392 | 612 | 64.1 | 5,115 | 8.4 | 45 | 14 | 153.9 | 216 | 1,028 | 4.8 | 13 |
Professional Football Career
Before the 2016 NFL draft, experts thought Wentz would be picked in the middle of the first round. But after his "pro day" (a special workout for scouts), he became a top 10 prospect. He performed well at the NFL Scouting Combine, showing his athletic skills.
Philadelphia Eagles Years
On April 28, 2016, the Philadelphia Eagles chose Wentz as the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. He was the first quarterback the Eagles picked so high since Donovan McNabb in 1999. The Eagles traded several draft picks to move up and get him. Wentz signed a four-year contract worth $26.67 million.
2016 Season: Rookie Records
Wentz was supposed to learn from the bench in 2016. However, the Eagles traded their starting quarterback, Sam Bradford. This meant Wentz became the starter for the season opener. In his first game, he threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles won 29–10. He was named the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week. He became the first rookie quarterback since 1970 to win his first two games without throwing an interception.
In his rookie season, Wentz started all 16 games. He set a league record for most completions by a rookie with 379. This also set a new Eagles franchise record. He also set a franchise record for pass attempts with 607.
2017 Season: MVP Candidate and Super Bowl Win
In Week 1 of 2017, Wentz threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns. In Week 5, he had a career-high four passing touchdowns. By Week 7, he was considered a possible NFL MVP. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
In Week 14, Wentz suffered a serious knee injury. He had a torn ACL, which meant he would miss the rest of the season. He finished the year with 3,296 passing yards and 33 touchdowns. He was chosen for his first Pro Bowl but could not play due to his injury. The Eagles, led by backup Nick Foles, went on to win Super Bowl LII. This was the first Super Bowl win in the team's history.
2018 Season: Return from Injury
Wentz missed the first two games of 2018 while recovering from his ACL injury. He returned as the starting quarterback in Week 3. He passed for 255 yards and a touchdown in his first game back.
Later in the season, Wentz dealt with a back injury. The Eagles decided to rest him to prevent further injury. He finished the season with 3,074 passing yards and 21 touchdowns. Backup Nick Foles led the Eagles to a playoff victory.
2019 Season: Franchise Passing Records
In April 2019, the Eagles extended Wentz's contract. He signed a four-year deal worth $128 million. In Week 1, he threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns. He also helped the Eagles win a comeback game against the New York Giants in Week 14.
Wentz led the Eagles to win the NFC East division title in Week 17. He finished the 2019 season with 4,039 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He became the first Eagles quarterback to pass for over 4,000 yards in a season.
In the playoffs, Wentz suffered a head injury in the first quarter. He was ruled out of the game with a concussion. The Eagles lost the game.
2020 Season: Challenges and Benchings
Wentz returned from injury in Week 1 of 2020. He struggled early in the season, throwing many interceptions. In Week 13, he was benched in the third quarter for Jalen Hurts. Hurts then became the starting quarterback for the rest of the season.
Wentz ended up leading the league in interceptions (15) and sacks taken (50) despite playing in only 12 games.
Indianapolis Colts (2021)
On March 17, 2021, Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts. He was reunited with his former coach, Frank Reich. Wentz had foot surgery during training camp but was ready for the season opener. He threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns in his Colts debut.
He passed for a season-high 402 yards in a close loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Wentz finished the season with 3,563 yards, 27 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. The Colts finished 9–8 but did not make the playoffs.
Washington Commanders (2022)
On March 16, 2022, Wentz was traded to the Washington Commanders. In his first game with the Commanders, he threw for 313 yards and four touchdowns.
In Week 5, Wentz broke a finger on his throwing hand. He was placed on injured reserve. He returned later in the season but did not get his starting job back right away. In Week 17, he started again but had a tough game. The Commanders lost, and they were eliminated from playoff contention. On February 27, 2023, the Commanders released Wentz.
Los Angeles Rams (2023)
On November 8, 2023, Wentz signed with the Los Angeles Rams as a backup. He started the final regular season game after the Rams secured a playoff spot. In that game, he threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown and completed a key two-point conversion. This helped the Rams win a close game 21–20.
Kansas City Chiefs (2024)
On April 2, 2024, Wentz signed with the Kansas City Chiefs to be the backup to Patrick Mahomes. In Week 15, he replaced an injured Mahomes and helped the Chiefs win. He started the final regular season game, but the Chiefs lost 38–0. The Chiefs reached Super Bowl LIX but lost to Wentz's former team, the Eagles.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular Season Games
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacked | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Sck | SckY | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2016 | PHI | 16 | 16 | 7–9 | 379 | 607 | 62.4 | 3,782 | 6.2 | 73 | 16 | 14 | 79.3 | 46 | 150 | 3.3 | 17 | 2 | 33 | 213 | 14 | 3 |
| 2017 | PHI | 13 | 13 | 11–2 | 265 | 440 | 60.2 | 3,296 | 7.5 | 72 | 33 | 7 | 101.9 | 64 | 299 | 4.7 | 24 | 0 | 28 | 162 | 9 | 3 |
| 2018 | PHI | 11 | 11 | 5–6 | 279 | 401 | 69.6 | 3,074 | 7.7 | 58 | 21 | 7 | 102.2 | 34 | 93 | 2.7 | 13 | 0 | 31 | 202 | 9 | 6 |
| 2019 | PHI | 16 | 16 | 9–7 | 388 | 607 | 63.9 | 4,039 | 6.7 | 53 | 27 | 7 | 93.1 | 62 | 243 | 3.9 | 19 | 1 | 37 | 230 | 16 | 7 |
| 2020 | PHI | 12 | 12 | 3–8–1 | 251 | 437 | 57.4 | 2,620 | 6.0 | 59 | 16 | 15 | 72.8 | 52 | 276 | 5.3 | 40 | 5 | 50 | 326 | 10 | 4 |
| 2021 | IND | 17 | 17 | 9–8 | 322 | 516 | 62.4 | 3,563 | 6.9 | 76 | 27 | 7 | 94.6 | 57 | 215 | 3.8 | 18 | 1 | 32 | 227 | 8 | 5 |
| 2022 | WAS | 8 | 7 | 2–5 | 172 | 276 | 62.3 | 1,755 | 6.4 | 75 | 11 | 9 | 80.2 | 22 | 86 | 3.9 | 18 | 1 | 26 | 159 | 6 | 1 |
| 2023 | LAR | 2 | 1 | 1–0 | 17 | 24 | 70.8 | 163 | 6.8 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 99.8 | 17 | 56 | 3.3 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | KC | 3 | 1 | 0–1 | 12 | 19 | 63.2 | 118 | 6.2 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 80.6 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 98 | 94 | 47–46–1 | 2,085 | 3,327 | 62.7 | 22,410 | 6.7 | 76 | 153 | 67 | 89.3 | 357 | 1,418 | 4.0 | 40 | 11 | 243 | 1,555 | 72 | 29 | |
Postseason Games
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacked | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Sck | SckY | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2017 | PHI | Did not play due to injury | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | PHI | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | PHI | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 1 | 4 | 25.0 | 3 | 0.8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | LAR | Did not play | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | KC | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Career | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 1 | 4 | 25.0 | 3 | 0.8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
Career Achievements and Awards
Eagles Team Records
- Most passing yards in a season: 4,039 (2019)
- Most passing touchdowns in a season: 33 (2017)
- Most pass completions in a season: 388 (2019)
- Most pass attempts in a season: 607 (2016 & 2019)
Awards and Honors
- Super Bowl champion (LII)
- Bert Bell Award (2017)
- Pro Bowl – 2017
- 3× Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week – Weeks 1, 3, and 5, 2016
- NFC Offensive Player of the Month – October 2017
- NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month – September 2016
Personal Life and Interests
Carson Wentz has been married since 2018. He and his wife have three daughters.
Wentz is a Christian. He started the AO1 Foundation in 2017. In 2018, he helped build a sports complex in Haiti. He enjoys hunting and often goes back to North Dakota for it.
His older brother, Zach, played college baseball. He later helped run the AO1 Foundation. Wentz's younger half-brother, Luke, played sports in high school but focused on his studies.
Images for kids
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Wentz passing in 2017
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Wentz in 2017
See also
In Spanish: Carson Wentz para niños
