After missing out on Russell Wilson, the Washington Commanders turned their attention to another veteran quarterback: Carson Wentz. They landed Wentz in a trade with the Colts on Wednesday, a deal that can become official next week at the start of the new league year.
Washington gave up two third-round picks – one of which can become a second-rounder if Wentz plays 70% of the snaps – and will swap second-round picks in 2022, a fairly big price to pay. Their cap space will take a significant hit, too, after Washington agreed to take on Wentz’s entire contract.
According to Over The Cap, Wentz will have a base salary of $22 million and a total cap hit of $28.3 million in 2022. That means the Commanders will have $28.3 million less to spend on free agents this offseason.
They went from having about $34.4 million in cap space to having only $4.9 million available after acquiring Wentz. Wentz won’t have any guaranteed money left in 2023, so the Commanders can cut him next year and save $26.2 million in cap space.
Wentz’s contract expires after the 2024 season; his cap hit will be $27.2 million in the final year of his deal.
