Wentz breaks his right wrist in a 24-21 loss to South Dakota and misses the rest of North Dakota State’s regular season. He is cleared to play five days before the FCS championship game and leads the Bisons to their fifth straight title, running for two touchdowns and throwing for another in a 37-10 win over Jacksonville State.

Wentz knocks the scouts’ socks off at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., solidifying himself as a high first-round pick. “He looks like he could play in this league,” new Eagles coach Doug Pederson says. The Eagles are one of many teams that interview Wentz in Mobile and come away impressed.

The Eagles re-sign quarterback Sam Bradford, giving him a two-year, $36 million deal that includes $26 million in guarantees. Bradford had started 14 games the previous year.

The Eagles make the first of two trades to move up in the draft and get Wentz, sending cornerback Byron Maxwell, linebacker Kiko Alonso and their first-round pick, the 13th overall, to the Dolphins for Miami’s first-round pick, the 8th overall.

An Eagles contingent of executives and coaches headed by owner Jeffrey Lurie and Pederson, travels to Fargo, N.D. for a personal workout with Wentz. The Eagles group has dinner with Wentz at Mezzaluna, a popular Fargo restaurant, before heading back to Philadelphia.

Eight days before the draft, the Eagles made the trade with the Cleveland Browns that put them in position to select Wentz. They trade five picks, including their first-round pick (No. 8) and their 2017 first-round selection for the Browns’ first-round pick, the second overall. “By making the initial trade with Miami earlier in the offseason and with this trade, we feel that we have put ourselves in the best possible position to draft an impact player,” general manager Howie Roseman says. The Eagles already knew when they made the trade with the Browns that the Rams, who had the first overall pick, were going to take quarterback Jared Goff, clearing the way for them to take Wentz at No. 2.

After the Rams took Goff with the first pick in the draft, the Eagles wasted little time grabbing Wentz. The rest of the top 5: Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa (Chargers), Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys) and Florida State cornerback Jalen Ramsey. “He’s got rare physical gifts,” Roseman says of Wentz. “The athletic ability, the throwing arm, the body type, he’s someone that can be molded into whatever you want. And when you have the coaches that we have and the support system that we have, it’s exciting.”

Pederson says Bradford will be the team’s season-opening starting quarterback and Wentz will watch and learn. “He’s my guy, Sam’s the No. 1 guy,” Pederson says. “I expect Sam to not look over his shoulder. I expect him to look forward and get himself ready for the season.”

Wentz suffers a hairline fracture in his ribs in the Eagles’ first preseason game against Tampa Bay and sits out the rest of the preseason.

Eight days before the start of the regular season, the Eagles trades Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings had lost their starting quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, to a severe knee injury days earlier. In exchange for Bradford, the Vikings give the Eagles their 2017 first-round pick and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2018. The Eagles will use that first-round pick to select defensive end Derek Barnett. “We weren’t looking to move Sam,” Roseman says. “We didn’t make any calls on Sam. It was just that as we looked at the offer and what we felt like it could do for our football team going forward, we felt like it was in the best interest of our team.”

With Bradford gone, Wentz, who has sat out the final three preseason games with the rib injury, is named the starter for the Eagles’ Week 1 game against the Cleveland Browns. “This is why we drafted him,” Pederson says. “Would the ideal situation be later than sooner? Sure. But right now, where we are, we’ve got a good football team around him. All the pieces are here for him to be successful and for us to win some games.”

In his first NFL start, Wentz leads the Eagles to a 29-10 win over the Browns. He completes 22 of 37 passes for 278 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Eagles improve their record to 3-0, crushing a Steelers team, 34-3, that will go on to win 11 games and make it to the AFC Championship Game. Wentz outduels Ben Roethlisberger, completing 23 of 31 passes for 301 yards and 2 TDs.

The Eagles lose to the Baltimore Ravens, 27-26, to fall to 5-9. It’s their ninth loss in 11 games. Wentz has a season-low 52.7 passer rating, completing just 22 of 44 passes for 170 yards and no touchdowns. He finishes his rookie season as the league’s 25th-rated passer, with 16 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions.

Wentz is having an MVP season. He threw four touchdowns passes in a 43-35 win over the Rams at the Los Angeles Coliseum to give him a league-high 33. The Eagles improve their record to 11-2. But Wentz’s season is over. Late in the third quarter, Wentz is injured as he tries to dive into the end zone for a score. His left knee is hit by two Rams defenders and he tears both his ACL and LCL in the knee. Amazingly, he stays in the game for four more plays before the extent of the injury becomes known, and even manages to throw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery to give the Eagles the lead. Nick Foles, who the Eagles had signed the previous March, replaces Wentz.

At his day-after-game press conference, Pederson confirms Wentz’s grim injury diagnosis, but insists the Eagles can still make a deep playoff run. “We overcame the loss of a Pro Bowl left tackle (Jason Peters),” he says. “We overcame the loss of our middle linebacker (Jordan Hicks). We overcame losing our running back (Darren Sproles) and a core special teams player (Chris Maragos) and our kicker (Cody Parkey). This is no different. Yeah, he is the quarterback of our football team. But you know what? The reason we went out and got Nick Foles was for reasons like this and situations like this.”

Wentz speaks to the media for the first time since his injury. He vows to be back for the 2018 season-opener, and expresses his happiness for Foles, who has the Eagles in the Super Bowl. “It’s tough to not be out there,” he says. “But I love watching these guys and I couldn’t be happier for Nick. As close as we are, we embraced each other (after the Eagles’ NFC Championship Game win over the Vikings) and spoke some words. I’m just so happy for him.”

With Wentz watching from the sideline, Foles leads the Eagles to their first-ever Super Bowl victory, throwing for 373 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-33 win over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Foles is named the Super Bowl MVP.

Being cautious, the Eagles hold Wentz out of the first two games of the 2018 season. He returns in Week 3 and leads the Eagles to a 20-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts. He completes 25 of 37 passes in the game, but is sacked five times.

Wentz turns up on the injury report two weeks in a row with a back injury. No one pays any attention to it because Wentz plays in both games.

Wentz makes his 11th start of the season in a 29-23 loss to the Cowboys that drops the Eagles to 6-7. He throws three TDs and no interceptions in the game. The day after the loss to the Cowboys, Doug Pederson is asked how he feels Wentz has played since coming back from his knee injury. Pederson mentions that Wentz “is feeling as healthy as he’s ever been.” On Dec. 11, Wentz gets a CT scan of his back, which, it turns out, has been bothering him since he was initially put on the injury report. The scan reveals a fractured vertebra. The very next day, Pederson says Wentz has a “little bit of back soreness, a little tightness,” and says he’s going to keep the quarterback out of practice and continue to evaluate him.

Pederson finally acknowledges the severity of Wentz’s injury. Sort of. He refers to it as a “stress injury.” Says it has “evolved over time.” Says Wentz is questionable for the Eagles’ game two days later against the Rams. Later in the day, the team downgrades Wentz to doubtful. The next day, he is listed as out. Wentz is never put on IR, but doesn’t play another snap the rest of the season, including the Eagles’ two playoff games. With Foles at quarterback, the Eagles win their final three regular-season games to finish 9-7 and earn a wild-card spot in the playoffs.

After beating the Bears in the wild-card round on Cody Parkey’s infamous double-doink field goal miss, the Eagles lose to the Saints in the divisional round when Alshon Jeffery fails to hold on to a late fourth quarter pass from Foles in Saints territory that is intercepted by Marshon Lattimore. The Saints run the clock out and win the game, 20-14.

Eight days after the Eagles’ loss to the Saints, an unflattering story about Wentz is published by Philly Voice. Authored by Joe Santoliquito, the story quotes anonymous players and coaches who portray the Eagles quarterback as selfish, uncompromising and egotistical. The story also suggests he plays favorites and doesn’t take accountability. Santoliquito is blasted by fans and media for the story. But over the next two years, almost everything Santoliquito reported about Wentz turns out to be true.

Foles, who becomes a free agent after the season, signs a four-year, $88 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Wentz’s back appears to be completely healed as he participates fully in the team’s spring OTAs and minicamps.

Wentz agrees to a four-year, $128 million contract extension with the Eagles. “I’m really excited about what the future will bring,” Wentz says. “I want this to be home for a long time. I’m happy to be here. Happy to be in this city long-term.”

Wentz doesn’t play a single snap in the Eagles’ four preseason games as Doug Pederson focuses on keeping his star quarterback healthy. “Listen, we’ve had a lot of good work with him in training camp. I’m real comfortable with where he’s at right now in his development, his growth with the team and with the offense.”

Wentz starts all 16 games for the first time since his rookie season. He’s wildly inconsistent much of the season, but finishes with 27 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He leads the Eagles to four straight December wins that help them make the playoffs for the third straight year.

Wentz plays in the first playoff game of his career, but doesn’t make it out of the first quarter. Nine snaps into the game, he takes a questionable hit from Seahawks defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney. Wentz’s head hits the ground and he suffers a concussion. He leaves the game and is replaced by 40-year-old backup Josh McCown, who plays much of the rest of the game with a torn hamstring. The Eagles lose the game, 17-9.

Clearly concerned about Wentz’s ability to stay healthy, the Eagles select Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts in the second round of the draft with the 53rd overall selection. A dual-threat quarterback, Hurts threw and ran for 52 touchdowns with the Sooners in 2019. Roseman says he’s not concerned about Wentz looking over his shoulder. “I spoke to Carson before the pick, and I told him our thought process about the quarterback position and how that’s always been part of our DNA in our organization, to draft and develop quarterbacks and to make that [quarterback] room as strong as any room in the National Football League,” Roseman says. “Carson is a Pro Bowl player and he’s not going anywhere. There’s no threat to Carson here. Carson is a great player and great person, and I know that both these guys are great teammates.”

Speaking with reporters for the first time since the draft, Wentz says he’s excited to add Hurts to the team. “I’ve heard nothing but good things about Jalen and the kid he is and the player he is,” Wentz says. “I’m excited to add him to the fold and create a really healthy and challenging environment for all of us.”

Wentz completes 14 of his first 18 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles’ season-opener against Washington. They score on three of their first four possessions and jump out to a 17-0 lead. But Wentz is 10-for-24 for just 88 yards and an interception the rest of the game. The Eagles fail to score a point on their last 9 possessions and lose, 27-17.

Playing behind an injury-ravaged offensive line that will use an NFL-record 14 different line combinations by the end of the season, Wentz is sacked six times in a 30-28 loss to Baltimore that drops the Eagles’ record to 1-4-1. Wentz already has been sacked a league-high 25 times and has thrown nine interceptions, two more than he threw in any of the previous three seasons. Hurts plays a season-high seven snaps in the game, lining up at several different positions. He doesn’t throw a pass, but does rush for 23 yards on two carries.

After consecutive pre-bye week wins over the Giants and Cowboys, the Eagles come out of the bye and lose to the Giants in a rematch, 27-17. For just the third time since his rookie season, Wentz fails to throw a touchdown pass in the defeat. It’s the first of 4 straight losses for the Eagles, dropping them to 3-8-1.

Pederson benches the struggling Wentz early in the third quarter of a 30-16 road loss to Green Bay. Wentz completes just 6 of 15 passes for 79 yards before he is replaced by Hurts. Pederson says he made the change because he was looking for a spark. Hurts rushes for 29 yards. He completes only 5 of 12 passes, but averages 9.1 yards per attempt. Two days later on Dec. 8, Pederson announces on the team’s website that Hurts will start the next game against the New Orleans Saints. “We’re not where we want to be as an offense,” he says. “I looked at the whole thing and decided that for this week to look for that spark again to try to get the team over the hump, to try to get everybody playing better.”

Wentz sits for the fourth straight week as the Eagles lose to Washington in their final game of the season and secure the sixth overall pick in the draft with a 4-11-1 record.

In his end-of-the-season news conference, Roseman is asked whether the Eagles will be open to trade offers for Wentz. “With every position on this team, it’s so fresh right now,” Roseman says. “We have to come back and look at it with fresh eyes. We just have to do a deep dive on every position. In terms of Carson, I don’t think it’s a secret that we moved up to get him because of what we thought of him as a person, as a player. We gave him that extension because of the same things. When you have players like that, they are like fingers on your hand. You can’t even imagine that they are not part of you; that they are not here. That’s how we feel about Carson.”

At his news conference to announce Pederson’s firing, Lurie is asked whether he thinks Wentz will be back with the Eagles next season. “The way I look at it is we have an asset and we have a talent,” Lurie says. “He’s a great guy and he wants nothing but to win big and win the Lombardi trophies for Philadelphia. It behooves us as a team with a new coach, a new coaching staff, to be able to really get him back to that elite progression where he was capable of.”

Asked whether Wentz will be back with the Eagles next season, the team’s new coach, Nick Sirianni, says, “I can’t answer that. There’s a lot of things to go through. Evaluating everything.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reported two weeks earlier that Wentz planned to ask for a trade, tells 97.5 The Fanatic that the quarterback still wants out of Philadelphia and that the hiring of Sirianni hasn’t changed his mind. “He wants to leave the franchise,” Schefter says. “That’s why a trade is still in play.”

Eagles trade Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional second-round pick in 2022 that could become a first-rounder.