Vikings sign QB Carson Wentz to back up J.J. McCarthy, send Sam Howell to the Eagles

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Carson Wentz is back in the NFL and Sam Howell is on the move again.

The Minnesota Vikings have signed Wentz to back up quarterback J.J. McCarthy and traded Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles are sending a 2026 fifth-round pick and 2027 seventh-rounder to Minnesota for Howell and a 2027 sixth-rounder.

Wentz, who spent last season backing up Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, was the No. 2 overall pick by the Eagles in 2016. He finished third in NFL MVP voting the following season but tore his ACL in December and watched Nick Foles lead Philadelphia to its first Super Bowl victory.

Wentz started for Indianapolis in 2021 and Washington in 2022. He was a backup with the Los Angeles Rams in 2023.

McCarthy was selected 10th overall in the 2024 draft but sat out his rookie season with a knee injury while Sam Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record.

The 32-year-old Wentz is 47-46-1 as a starter. He has completed 62.7% of his passes for 22,410 yards, 153 touchdowns and 67 interceptions with an 89.3 passer rating.

Wentz is the only quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in a season without any wide receiver on his team reaching 500 yards receiving. He did that in 2019, leading the Eagles to an NFC East title.

Howell replaced Wentz as the starting QB for the Commanders in 2023. He played behind Geno Smith in Seattle last year before going to Minnesota. Howell joins Tanner McKee behind Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia. The Eagles also currently have Dorian Thompson-Robinson and rookie Kyle McCord.

Howell, a fifth-round pick in 2022, is 5-13 as a starter. He has completed 62.6 of his passes for 4,139 yards, 22 TDs and 23 interceptions with a 77.5 passer rating.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl