Carson Wentz Won't Wear No. 11 in Indy
All those photoshopped pictures in the days after Carson Wentz was traded to Indianapolis with him wearing a No. 11 Colts jersey need to be redone.
It appears that the former Eagles quarterback will don a new uniform number when he suits up this fall.
Colts WR Micael Pittman, Jr. said on Twitch over the weekend that he and Wentz spoke about the No. 11, which Pittman wore as a rookie in 2020.
“(He) asked me how locked in I am on No. 11,” said Pittman. “I told him I’m pretty locked in. He said, ‘Alright, that’s fine. I’m going to change anyway.’”
Pittman added that, “I’m staying No. 11.”
Wentz has worn that number since his college days at North Dakota State.
When the Eagles picked him second overall in 2016, No. 11 was a no-brainer not only because it was his number dating back to college, but it was a number that was pretty much available.
Free-agent WR Chris Givens had been issued the number after signing as a free agent prior to that draft, but the second overall pick in the draft would certainly get the number of his choice.
Some of the luster is off Wentz now as he moves to his second team after a horrendous 2020 season, and it is wise for him not to upset Pittman, who figures to be a weapon for Indy’s new QB.
Sometimes when players switch teams they offer expensive gifts to teammates who wear the number they want, but Wentz seems content to move on with a fresh start in a new city with a new number.
So which number could Wentz pick?
The NFL requires that quarterbacks wear numbers between 1 and 19, so the No. 20 is out as Wentz’s new number.
No. 20 was the uniform number he wore in high school.
The number 8 is taken by punter Rigoberto Sanchez, as are some others in that 1-19 range.
The No. 17 is available. It was the number worn last year by Phillip Rivers, who retired.
The No. 2 is also open, but that is the number worn by Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, so it’s unlikely Wentz would pick that number given how it was Hurts who was one of the wedges that came between Wentz and the Eagles’ organization.
Whenever the new number is chosen, the changeover will be complete: new city, new number.
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s EagleMaven. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
