Former second-overall NFL draft pick Carson Wentz has had a roller-coaster career. Since being selected as the second quarterback and second overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016, the North Dakota State standout has been in the discussion for MVP and won a Super Bowl ring. He has also been traded, cut, injured, and out of the league altogether, as he is now.
To say his play has been uneven would be an understatement. After a middling rookie season, Wentz exploded in his sophomore year. He posted an 11-2 record and threw for 33 touchdowns before suffering a season-ending knee injury. His backup, Nick Foles, took the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory, and Wentz has never been the same.
The deeply religious Wentz had long been rumored to be difficult to coach and somewhat standoffish with his teammates, and after the injury, his mechanics suffered, and his confidence eroded. The staff in Philadelphia was unable to elevate him back to his previous form, and after three more mediocre seasons, he moved on to Indianapolis.
After one year in Indy, and one year in Washington, Wentz now finds himself unemployed, awaiting another opportunity. So what does a former star NFL quarterback do with extra free time? For Carson Wentz, it is hunting. Wentz and his brother Zach have the Wentz Bros Outdoors Instagram, where they post on their exploits, some of which include hunting.
NFL quarterback Carson Wentz is taking heat for posing with the carcass of a black bear he bagged during a hunting trip in Alaska. https://t.co/GjXVbJ0iCX
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) June 27, 2023
Recently, the signal caller went on an Alaskan bear hunt which he termed a “bucket list” activity and bagged a massive black bear with a bow. Wentz posted a pic of himself and the bear online, and as expected, the pearl-clutching from the left was massive.
Wentz posted on his social media: “Got the opportunity to spot and stalk black bear in one of our new favorite places on earth— Alaska! Incredible trip and an incredible animal.”
Hunting black bear is legal in Alaska, and Wentz bagged the monster with a bow, which is exceedingly hard to do, but that didn’t stop the critics:
“Hope next time (the) bear wins and you lay down,”
“Incredible animal so you kill it?? Makes sense,”
“That’s just awful! I can’t believe you killed a bear for sport. Changed my whole perspective of you,”
“We know your football career is over, so you have to do another thing for a living. But this is not the way! Respect the animals, the nature. It’s not for your fun.”
“Killing for fun. Glad the Eagles dumped you. Focus on getting better at throwing the ball than your “bucket list.”
Considering the Wentz brothers are conservationists, it’s highly likely that the kill wasn’t just for fun, and Wentz and his brother will process and eat the animal, as true conservationists do. It also isn’t as if he was in Africa hunting rhinos. Bears aren’t endangered, and the state allows legal hunting for a reason. The same reason hunting deer is necessary; population control.
Not all of the comments were hate, however. Several former teammates chimed in. Former teammate and quarterback Taylor Heinicke said: “Holy s–t man! Need a taste of em,” and ironically, former Bear quarterback Jay Cutler said: “Well done. Congrats.”
Wentz has always been one to march to the beat of his own drum, sometimes even to his own detriment professionally, so it’s likely he doesn’t care about the detractors, some of whom claim the kill could ruin his chance of another job in the NFL. While that assertion is absurd, one must wonder if a certain Chicago team needs a backup quarterback. If nothing else, it would be a hilarious fit.
Featured image: All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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