Washington finally made its move to acquire ‘a franchise quarterback’ Wednesday, but online bookmakers provided a mixed odds reaction to the trade for Carson Wentz.
The Commanders started the day at around the +6600 (or 66-1), and you might have expected those odds to shrink dramatically when news of the trade came through. Well yes, and no.
Odds reaction to Wentz trade
While some sportsbooks chopped Washington to +5000 and +4000 after Ron Rivera and his front office made the move, Caesars and PointsBet were both distinctly unimpressed – leaving the Commanders at +6000.
| Team | Best Odds | Sportsbook |
| Buffalo Bills | +750 | Widely available |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +850 | Widely available |
| Los Angeles Rams | +1200 | Widely available |
| San Francisco 49ers | +1400 | Widely available |
| Green Bay Packers | +1400 | bet365 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +1600 | Caesars, bet365 |
| Denver Broncos | +2000 | bet365 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +2200 | DraftKings |
| Cincinnati Bengals | +2200 | DraftKings, FanDuel |
| Arizona Cardinals | +2500 | Widely available |
| Tennessee Titans | +2500 | Unibet, SugarHouse |
| Los Angeles Chargers | +2800 | DraftKings |
| Indianapolis Colts | +3300 | FOX Bet |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +3300 | Unibet, SugarHouse |
| New England Patriots | +3500 | DraftKings |
| Cleveland Browns | +4000 | Widely available |
| New Orleans Saints | +4000 | Widely available |
| Philadelphia Eagles | +4500 | DraftKings, FOX Bet |
| Miami Dolphins | +5000 | Widely available |
| Minnesota Vikings | +5000 | bet365 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | +6000 | DraftKings |
| Washington Commanders | +6000 | Caesars, PointsBet |
| Carolina Panthers | +7000 | FOX Bet |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +7000 | FOX Bet |
| Atlanta Falcons | +8000 | DraftKings |
| Chicago Bears | +9000 | DraftKings |
| Seattle Seahawks | +10000 | DraftKings |
| New York Giants | +12500 | PointsBet |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | +13000 | DraftKings |
| Detroit Lions | +15000 | Widely available |
| New York Jets | +20000 | DraftKings |
| Houston Texans | +20000 | DraftKings, Caesars |
- Odds correct on March 10, 2022
That reaction speaks volumes for the decision to acquire a quarterback who was good enough to be the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, and good enough to be an MVP candidate until a knee injury torpedoed his involvement in that Super Bowl run in 2017.
Since then though it’s been a tale of woe for Wentz, who was traded to Indianapolis last year for what eventually turned out to be a first-round pick. After just one season he is on the move again after a late-season implosion saw the Colts somehow miss out on a postseason berth.
It’s pretty telling that the man running Wentz out of town this time is Frank Reich, his OC in Philly and the man who clearly had more belief in him than any other. How does that trade look now, Frank?
Wentz trade terms and cap hit
Wentz though retains his big contract (he’ll count $28.94million against Washington’s cap in 2022) and that eats up most of the space the Commanders had heading towards free agency.
It feels like another reach by the Washington front office – one that likely ends in failure. Wentz has now ‘failed’ in two NFL cities. More than just a blip, right?
The compensation for Wentz every time he gets traded is gradually dropping too, another sign of his diminishing value. And the diminishing belief that he can ever again be the player he was in 2017.
Washington hands over a 2022 third-round pick and a 2023 third-rounder which could eventually be a second based on how many snaps Carson takes in 2022. Slim pickings…