Farewells from Colts teammates confute Carson Wentz leadership narrative

The Washington Commanders acquired QB Carson Wentz in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts last Wednesday. Though a necessary one, the move was met with a heavy dose of vitriol by the majority of NFL fans and the collective media.

While most of that chastising was due to Wentz’s volatile tendencies as a quarterback, it also had something to do with his leadership and character concerns.

This narrative has followed Wentz throughout his career and it came to a head during his final season in Philadelphia in 2020, when he was said to have distanced himself from his teammates after he was benched for Jalen Hurts.

Fast forward to this offseason and that narrative has returned.

According to Zak Keefer of The Athletic, the Colts grew frustrated with Wentz “at what they deemed lack of leadership, a resistance to hard coaching and a reckless style of play, which had a role in several close losses this year.”

Make of that what you will, but there have been numerous conflicting reports highlighting Wentz’s leadership, or lack thereof. We have our concerns, but the reactions from his former Colts teammates after the trade was reported should dissuade fans from piling on this narrative.

First up is Darius Leonard.

Is Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz actually a bad leader?

If you watched “Hard Knocks,” you know Leonard is the undisputed voice of Indianapolis’ locker room. The fact he took a shot at the Colts’ QB carousel suggests he isn’t thrilled about the team pulling the plug on Wentz after one year.

Leonard could have just chastised the Colts without mentioning Wentz and nobody would’ve batted an eyelash. Instead, the All-Pro linebacker made sure to give his former quarterback a written pat on the back on his way out.

Next, Michael Pittman Jr., who enjoyed a breakout sophomore season catching passes from Wentz in 2021, tweeted out his appreciation for Wentz. The second-year receiver went as far as to call Wentz a “great teammate and friend.”

To put Pittman’s and Wentz’s relationship into perspective, Wentz posted an Instagram working out with Pittman and fellow Colts receiver Dezmon Patmon just two weeks ago. At that point, the ESPN report that hinted Wentz’s time in Indianapolis had run its course had already hit the mainstream media.

But that didn’t stop Wentz from getting some work in with his teammates and it didn’t stop Pittman and Patmon from joining him.

Another Wentz farewell came in the form of center Ryan Kelly, who called the quarterback “a leader on and off the field.”

That’s a glowing letter of recommendation from Kelly, who endured a heartbreaking tragedy during the 2021 season. In mid-December, Kelly announced the death of his infant daughter, Mary Kate, who suffered heart failure amid his wife’s pregnancy.

During “Hard Knocks,” Wentz, a girl dad, bonded with Kelly over the fact he was having his first daughter. Does that sound like a bad leader?

And finally, we get to Jonathan Taylor.

Before there were even doubts about Wentz’s future in Indy, the all-world running back delivered a huge vote of confidence in the 29-year-old signal caller, saying he loved Wentz both in the locker room and on the gridiron.

If you’ve already made up your mind about Wentz’s leadership instincts, you likely aren’t going to change your mind. That’s fine. We just felt obligated to share these quotes and social media farewells, because they paint an entirely different picture to the aloof locker room canker Wentz is being made out to be.

That’s not to say he’s perfect, but perspective matters and we put a lot of stock into how his teammates feel about him.