The Kansas City Chiefs are enjoying another stellar season, with the team 10-1 going into Week 13. There’s no denying that the Chiefs have a stellar quarterback at the helm in Patrick Mahomes, and while they’re lucky that he’s stayed relatively healthy over the years, if he does get injured at some point, they have a strong backup in Carson Wentz.
However, NFL analyst and expert Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report writes that he thinks Wentz could jump ship and take on a new opportunity in 2025 free agency.
Kansas City Chiefs QB ‘Would Make Sense’ With the Minnesota Vikings
In a November 25 feature for Bleacher Report about every NFL team’s needs going into Week 13, Knox states that the Minnesota Vikings probably won’t keep Sam Darnold past this season and instead start 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy.
“That’s a great plan, but it would behoove Minnesota to have a veteran mentor in place,” Knox noted.
Wentz comes to mind as a candidate that “would make sense,” according to Knox.
“For one, he spent the 2022 season with Sean McVay and the Rams,” Knox noted. “[Vikings coach] Kevin O’Connell is a McVay disciple, so Wentz would likely enter the building with some system familiarity.”
Knox added that another benefit to having Wentz in the fold is that he likely shouldn’t be a “threat” to McCarthy, which should put the latter’s mind at ease.
“He’s firmly in the backup stage of his career and can focus on teaching the young signal-caller—and he should have plenty to teach,” Knox noted. It’s more than worth mentioning that Wentz also helped win a Super Bowl, “and he’s spent the last two years backing up Matthew Stafford and Patrick Mahomes.”
Knox also has some ideas about other Chiefs players who could jet.
For one, he writes that guard Trey Smith could bolt for the Arizona Cardinals, with Knox noting that, “Arizona is projected to have $98 million in effective cap space next offseason, which means general manager Monti Ossenfort can splurge.”
Knox also sees running back Kareem Hunt being a good fit for the Saints, although the Saints “won’t be able to splurge in free agency, as they’re projected to be $70.5 million over the cap in terms of effective space.”
Carson Wentz Says Patrick Mahomes ‘Processes the Game Really Quickly’
For now, Wentz remains a member of the Chiefs, and it goes without saying that he takes his role backing up Mahomes seriously.
“I’ll find a way to help him whatever way I can, whether that’s off the field, on the field, whatever,” he told ESPN’s Adam Teicher in July.
Wentz also sang the praises of Mahomes, saying that the quarterback “just processes the game really quickly.”
“He calls protections, he’s in and out of the huddle and throwing anticipatory throws, all that stuff, all that stuff you see from afar,” he added. “But it’s just fun to see it and in some respects just see different windows on plays that maybe you didn’t see before because he’s playing so quickly out there.”
Next up, the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
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