Carson Wentz trade to Colts completes unique QB turnover stat

With the Eagles trading Carson Wentz to the Colts, a run of first-round quarterbacks who are no longer on their original team is complete

The Indianapolis Colts were competing with themselves by the end, but they will indeed acquire quarterback Carson Wentz from the Philadelphia Eagles for two draft picks. I’ll leave aside my thoughts on Wentz himself as a wholly overrated quarterback from the moment he was drafted, but his trade has completed a unique run of quarterback turnover.

As noted by ESPN’s Field Yates, with Wentz being traded no quarterback drafted in the first round from 2009-2016 is still with their original team. That’s 22 quarterbacks, including six No. 1 overall picks.

Here’s the list, with their current status.

2009-Matthew Stafford (Lions, traded to the Rams), Mark Sanchez (Jets, retired), Josh Freeman (Buccaneers, retired)

2010-Sam Bradford (retired), Tim Tebow (Broncos, retired)

2011-Cam Newton (Panthers, spent 2020 with Patriots), Jake Locker (Titans, retired), Blaine Gabbert (Jaguars, with Buccaneers now), Christian Ponder (Vikings, retired)

2012-Andrew Luck (Colts, retired), Robert Griffin III (Washington, spent 2020 with Ravens), Ryan Tannehill (Dolphins, now with Titans), Brandon Weeden (Browns, retired)

2013-EJ Manuel (Bills, retired)

2014-Blake Bortles (Jaguars, now with Rams), Johnny Manziel (Browns, retired from NFL), Teddy Bridgewater (Vikings, now with Panthers)

2015-Jameis Winston (Buccaneers, spent 2020 with Saints), Marcus Mariota (Titans, now with Raiders)

2016-Jared Goff (Rams, traded to Lions), Carson Wentz (Eagles, traded to Colts), Paxton Lynch (Broncos, out of the league)

There’s a wide array of circumstances on that list-injuries, organizational ineptitude or otherwise-and the farther ago it was the impact of not having your first-round quarterback anymore is diminished. Three of the 22 have now been traded just so far this offseason (Stafford, Goff and Wentz), with Goff and Wentz both having gotten big contract extensions within the last two years.

Hitting on the most important position in sports can set an NFL team up for a long time. But acknowledging a mistake and moving on can be just as important, as teams won’t stop trying to find the right quarterback.

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