National Football League

Carson Wentz opts for foot surgery, likely out five to 12 weeks

Updated Aug. 2, 2021 7:13 p.m. ET

Training camp is off to a bumpy start for Carson Wentz and the Indianapolis Colts after it was announced Monday that Wentz will undergo surgery on his injured foot.

The 28-year-old quarterback suffered a foot injury in practice Thursday and was subsequently ruled out indefinitely.

At that point, reports were that Wentz planned to rehab his foot over the next few days in an attempt to avoid surgery, according to a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

That plan was apparently washed away with Monday's report, and the Colts are left looking to fill a void at quarterback for at least a few weeks of the 2021 season, which begins Sept. 12, when they host the Seattle Seahawks.

The Colts traded for Wentz in the offseason and viewed the QB as a potential missing piece on a team with designs on making a Super Bowl run.

Behind Wentz, the quarterback room in Indy isn't very experienced. Second-year QB Jacob Eason, the presumed backup for Wentz, was inactive for the Colts a season ago. Rookie Sam Ehlinger and 2020 undrafted free-agent Jalen Morton also have yet to see game action.

Brett Hundley, who most recently played in limited action for the Arizona Cardinals in 2019, is also in the mix after the Colts announced his signing Saturday.

When discussing the fallout from Wentz's opting to have surgery, Colin Cowherd said there might be reason to hold out hope for the Colts.

"He needs his athleticism," Cowherd said Monday on "The Herd." "I think this is the right option. I think you get surgery. You cross your fingers. You're in a bad division. … The little glimpse of light is this division is so bad. … In their division, with the [Jacksonville Jaguars], Houston [Texans] and Tennessee [Titans], they may be able to just win ugly … be a couple games under .500 [and] get hot late in the year with Carson Wentz."

Colin Cowherd reacts to Colts' Carson Wentz undergoing foot surgery I THE HERD

Colin Cowherd reacts to reports that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz will undergo foot surgery just weeks ahead of the 2021-22 season.

On Friday, ESPN's Marcus Spears described Wentz's latest injury as "catastrophic" for the Colts.

"Obviously, this injury derails a lot of things about the Indianapolis Colts and what they had plans to do," Spears said. "… It was too much riding on Carson Wentz being the Indianapolis Colts' starter in order for these things to materialize and take place. It's unfortunate."

Wentz's injury is the latest in a long list of ailments for the second overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. In his days as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Wentz played in 16 games just twice in five seasons.

In 2017, he tore his ACL and LCL in Week 14 and was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. The Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl with Nick Foles at the helm. The following season, Wentz was inactive to close out the season due to a vertebral fracture.

He made it through the 2019 regular season unscathed, but he suffered a concussion in the first quarter of Philadelphia's 17-9 wild-card loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

A tumultuous 2020 season with the Eagles resulted in his being benched in favor of rookie Jalen Hurts in Week 13 and traded to Indianapolis in the offseason.

There are ramifications beyond Indianapolis' playoff and Super Bowl hopes. As part of the deal to acquire Wentz, the Colts inserted playing-time clauses on a conditional pick sent to Philadelphia.

If Wentz misses a significant amount of time, which is looking likely, the Colts would send a second-round pick to the Eagles in the 2022 draft, rather than a first-round pick.

For now, though, Indianapolis' quarterback situation is shaky at best.

The good news is Wentz hasn't officially been ruled out for the season, but the bad news is the injury bug seems to have followed him from Philadelphia to Indianapolis.

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