Yes, the Kansas City Chiefs are seeking to become the first team to ever win three consecutive Super Bowls, and yes, the Chiefs will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in a rematch of an epic Super Bowl LVII two seasons ago. It’s true that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will try to secure an incredible fourth Super Bowl victory before he turns 30, while Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, at the age of 26, is looking for his first.
But amid all of that, one of the more intriguing storylines emerging in the lead-up to Super Bowl LIX is about Mahomes’ backup, Carson Wentz.
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Wentz is in his first year with the Chiefs after signing with the franchise in April. The 32-year-old is on his fourth team in four years, mostly serving as a backup. However, what Wentz is best known for is his time with Philadelphia, the team he starred on from the start of his career in 2016 until 2020.
As the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State, Wentz took the league by storm. He set an NFL record for the most completions as a rookie (379, since broken), and the following year, he was selected to the Pro Bowl and in contention for league MVP until a torn left ACL in Week 14 ended his season. He was forced to watch from the sidelines as his backup, Nick Foles, led Philly through the playoffs and to a memorable 41-33 Super Bowl LII victory against the New England Patriots.
Now Wentz is back in the Super Bowl, and it’s his former team standing in the way of him earning a second championship ring.
After watching from the sidelines as Mahomes orchestrated yet another AFC Championship Game win on Sunday, 32-29 against the Buffalo Bills, Wentz was asked by The Philadelphia Inquirer for his thoughts about reaching another Super Bowl, where he’ll face his former team.
“It’s been a journey,” he said. “Every day, or every year, has been something different so far, but I’m just along for the ride, and God’s been good, just continuing to open doors. [I’m] still playing the game I love, and it might look different, but [I’m] still having fun.”
Although Wentz’s time in the NFL hasn’t panned out as he’d hoped, or many expected, he’s remained steadfast in his commitment to the Lord throughout. In August 2023, he joined “The Pure Athlete Podcast” and had a message for listeners facing setbacks.
“Just keep going,” he said while wearing an Audience of One T-shirt. “Have your goals and keep plugging along, and don’t let anybody try and derail you — stop you — from them. I would strongly encourage everybody to find their real purpose with their Creator, with Jesus, because that can kind of make all the difference when you’re going through all of the crap that life can throw at you.”
Wentz describes himself as a “Follower of Christ” on social media, and he’s regularly spoken openly about his faith.
Wentz also started his Audience of One Foundation in the summer of 2017, which is dedicated to “uplifting individuals and communities around the world by demonstrating God’s love for His people.”
Wentz and his wife, Maddie, were guests on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in February 2020, where they talked about marriage, life in the NFL, expecting their first child, and God’s faithfulness to them in all of it.
“We joke about it, but when I met her, it was literally like God said, ‘Wife!’ It was just, like, right over her. It was the most audible I’d ever heard the Lord’s voice in my life to this day,” Carson said as he reflected on his time getting to know Maddie on a mission trip. “… We were just both striving to serve the Lord, and that’s just how we met. So from the start, I just knew her heart was in the right place, my heart was in the right place, and finding someone to do this life alongside with me and really be my better half.”
Later, both Carson and Maddie shared their favorite Bible verses. Carson’s was Proverbs 3:5-6 (which he has tattooed on the inside of his right bicep) and Maddie’s was Psalm 139:7-8.
Carson was also a part of Sports Spectrum’s “Football Sunday” film in 2021, in which he shared about how hard it was for him to be sidelined with an injury while his Eagles teammates went on to win the Super Bowl.
“To walk through that, obviously it was tough at the time, and I still look back and think it was a tough time, but I know God was moving in my life,” he said. “And He wanted me to know that He loves me so much that my relationship with Him is far more important than winning a Super Bowl, than being on that stage in my uniform, than playing in that game. But ultimately [I should be] playing for His glory and saying, ‘God, Your will be done.'”
He added later, “I’ve always been a guy that wants to have control. My selfishness and my desire for control has to decrease every moment and it has to allow God to increase in my life. [I have] to try my best to be Spirit-led and not Carson-led.”
This year, Wentz has provided a steady veteran presence in relief of Mahomes, appearing in three games including a start in the regular-season finale against Denver. He completed 10 of 17 passes for 98 yards in the game, as the Chiefs lost 38-0 while resting many of the team’s key players.
To no one’s surprise, Wentz joined the postgame prayer huddle at midfield, giving honor and praise to God despite the loss.
Always enduring in faith and deriving his true strength from Christ, Wentz is now helping the Chiefs prepare for Philadelphia and the bright lights of Super Bowl LIX. Kickoff from New Orleans is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 9.
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