Colts GM Chris Ballard Doesn’t Have ‘Direct Answer’ on Future of Carson Wentz
With rumors beginning to grow that the Colts are looking at potential opportunities to move on from Carson Wentz, general manager Chris Ballard did little to quash the ongoing speculation about his team’s future plans at quarterback.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Ballard acknowledged that the reporters present would have questions about Wentz. However, the Indianapolis GM made clear that he didn’t have much to tell them.
“I don‘t have a direct answer for you, We're working through it,” Ballard told reporters of Wentz’s future with the Colts, per Charlie Clifford of WISH-TV Indianapolis. ”Jim Irsay, Frank [Reich] and I will sit down over the next 10 days and figure out where it’s going. Ultimately, we’ll do what’s best for the Colts, both in the short-term and in the long-term.”
When asked if Wentz could still be the team's long-term answer under center, Ballard again echoed a tone of uncertainty.
”As we sit down and work through whether Carson’s the best long-term answer or not. ... We’re not there yet,” he said, per CBS Sports. ”I’m not there yet. And that’s something that we’ll talk about as a group and move forward. And whatever decision we make will be the best one for us.”
Ballard’s comments come after February reports from The Athletic’s Zak Keefer and ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that leadership in Indianapolis has been weighing Wentz’s future in recent weeks. Those conversations reportedly date back to the team’s Week 18 loss to the Jaguars that eliminated the Colts from the playoffs, in which the 29-year-old quarterback coughed up two turnovers and took six sacks.
Despite his shoddy performance in the season finale, Wentz played some of the best football of his career in his first year with the Colts. He ended his sixth NFL season having started all 17 games for Indianapolis and completing 62.4% of his passes for 3,563 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Wentz was traded to the Colts from the Eagles prior to the start of the 2021 season. He still stands to earn a guaranteed $15 million whether Indianapolis releases him or moves him this spring.
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