Where Does Carson Wentz Rank Amongst the All-Time Eagles Quarterbacks?

2020 is finally over, and it’s also the likely end of the Carson Wentz era in Philadelphia. His stunning decline from MVP frontrunner in 2017 to the NFL’s worst quarterback in 2020 is unprecedented. Unless if the front office can’t find a trade partner in the offseason, Wentz may have played his last game as an Eagle.

If this is the end of the Wentz era, then his Eagles legacy is complicated to say the least. Doug Pederson and Howie Roseman’s team rebuild in 2016 was centered around Wentz. The formation of the 2017 roster, the greatest team in franchise history, was centered around Wentz. His incredible performance in 2017 is a big reason why the team got home field advantage in the NFC playoffs, but Nick Foles got all the glory for it. Instead of Carson picking up where he left off in 2017 and going for his own Super Bowl, injuries and the possible yips have destroyed his playing ability in Philadelphia.

So where does Wentz rank amongst the greatest quarterbacks in Eagles history? Even with just one great year in five seasons, Wentz is worthy of the Top 10. Only two Hall of Fame quarterbacks have played for the franchise and both of them played somewhere else longer. Here’s my unofficial list of the Top 10 Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks of all-time.

 

 

10. Norm Snead

 

 

Okay, so the Eagles haven’t exactly had a ton of great quarterbacks and Number 10 could be anyone from Roman Gabriel to Rodney Pete. Norm Snead’s biggest claim to fame is being who the Eagles acquired when trading future Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen to Washington. Although the Eagles were still on the losing end of that trade, Snead was still pretty good in Philadelphia. He made a Pro Bowl in seven seasons starting for the Birds from 1964 to 1970. Unfortunately he went an abysmal 28-50-3 during that span but that was mostly because the franchise team around him was terrible overall. Snead still remains 5th in franchise history in passing yards, completions and touchdown passes.

 

 

9. Michael Vick

 

 

The Eagles signing Michael Vick following his release from prison was a controversial shocker at the time. But to his credit Vick made the most of his second chance in the NFL which helped saved his legacy as one of the most electric playmakers in NFL history. His 2010 season alone puts him on this list as performances such as the Miracle at the New Meadowlands and his six touchdown game on Monday Night in Washington are still talked about a full decade later. Injuries and the team’s overall decline made the Eagles’ Mike Vick experience brief, but still electric.

 

8. Tommy Thompson

 

 

It could be argued that Tommy Thompson should be Number 1 on this list because he’s the only Eagles quarterback to win multiple NFL championships for them. However in the NFL of the 1940s where running the ball was the primary offensive option, everyone knows the reason why the Eagles won back-to-back NFL titles was because of halfback Steve Van Buren.

 

7. Carson Wentz

 

 

Here he is.

There was a time in 2017 where Carson Wentz looked like he was going to skyrocket to Number 1 on this list. He was going to be the Eagles version of Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson. Win a Super Bowl, league MVP, number retired, Hall of Fame and maybe a statue.

But here we are now and it looks like those dreams are over. Even with injuries and poor play in 2020 destroying his career in Philly, his performance in 2017 alone puts him at Number 7 on the list. Bonus points for rallying the Birds to the playoffs in 2019, which turned out to be his last great moment as an Eagle. The reason why he ranks below Sonny Jurgensen is because Wentz’s poor play may force him out of town, while it was inept management that forced Jurgensen out.

 

6. Sonny Jurgensen

 

 

Sonny Jurgensen’s placement on this list is the most difficult. He’s only one of two Eagles quarterbacks with a bust in Canton, but he’s primarily known as a Washington Football Team player. He started four games as a rookie for the Birds in 1957 before sitting behind Norm Van Brocklin for three seasons. Taking over the defending NFL champions, Jurgensen filled Van Brocklin shoes tremendously by leading the NFL in completions, yards and touchdown passes. His 32 touchdown passes in 1961 remained a franchise record before Wentz finally broke it in 2017. He led the league in passing yards again in 1962 but had an injury plagued 1963 season before being traded to Washington for Norm Snead. Despite arriving in Washington at the age of 30, Jurgensen played there for another 11 seasons.

 

5. Nick Foles

 

 

The man. The myth. The D.

Despite only starting 38 games in five seasons for the Birds, Foles’ resume is ridiculous. His 2013 Pro Bowl season where he threw 27 touchdowns to 2 interceptions came out of nowhere. After getting injured in 2014 and sent to St. Louis by Chip Kelly, Foles nearly retired before playing for Kansa City in 2016 and returning to Philly in 2017.

You know the rest. After being shaky replacing Wentz, Foles had arguably the two greatest games ever by a Philadelphia Eagle in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LII. Him outdueling Tom Brady in Minneapolis remains one of the best big game performances ever, earning him Super Bowl MVP. He followed that up again in 2018 when he tied an NFL record for consecutive completions and nearly led the Birds back to the NFC title game. His short stints in Philly keep him at the 5th spot, but no Eagles quarterback is a bigger legend than Number 9.

 

4. Norm Van Brocklin

 

 

Norm Van Brocklin was an Eagle for only three seasons and spent most of his career as a Los Angeles Ram. However his performance in Philly, especially in 1960, loomed large over the franchise for nearly six decades. Although Foles maybe the fan favorite, Van Brocklin ranks above him because he remains the last Philadelphia Eagle to be the NFL regular season MVP. Winning the league MVP and the NFL title in the same year is very rare, and if Van Brocklin was just an Eagle for his entire career he would easily be Number 1.

 

3. Ron Jaworski

 

 

Jaws maybe known better nationwide as one of the best football analysts on the planet, but in Philadelphia he’s still beloved as the Eagles quarterback who guided them to their first Super Bowl appearance. Jaws was the NFC MVP of 1980 and his signal calling helped the Eagles out of their dark times of the 1960s and 1970s. The reason why he’s below Randall Cunningham is because Jaworski had a better supporting cast around him on offense and a better head coach in Dick Vermeil. Kudos to Jaws for having to get wrecked by a young Lawrence Taylor but remaining in the NFL until 1989 as a Chief.

 

2. Randall Cunningham

 

 

It’s been a quarter-century since Randall Cunningham last played for the Eagles but he remains an iconic figure in Philadelphia to this day. There’s certainly more 12 jerseys worn at the Linc than there are 5 jerseys. His highlights such as his endzone scramble in Buffalo and sack-denying play against the Giants on Monday Night Football made NFL Network’s list of the 100 Greatest Plays in NFL History. He’s definitely the most talented quarterback in Eagles history, but Cunningham is not Number 1 because he didn’t achieve his full potential. The reasons why include his lack offensive coaching, a shortage of offensive talent, injuries and not being fully committed to honing his craft. His lack of postseason success also hurts him along with having his best season in 1998 as a Minnesota Viking. But even with all that, Cunningham’s decade-long run with the Eagles quarterback is good enough to be the second best team history.

 

 

1. Donovan McNabb

 

 

Rejoice McNabb fans, even after the Eagles finally won the Super Bowl Number 5’s status as the franchises’ GOAT QB remains intact. Wentz had the best single season by an Eagle quarterback, Foles had the best game, but McNabb had the best overall career. His resume is well known: 11 seasons, 6 Pro Bowls, 9 playoff wins in 16 games, 5 conference title games and an NFC Championship. Of course in the years since he left the Eagles McNabb’s bad moments outweigh the good. Those lowlights are too obvious to be mentioned and they costed him a place in the Hall of Fame. Even with all that McNabb’s longevity and .647 winning percentage makes him an easy Number 1, and it may take awhile for him to be topped.

Love him or hate him, Number 5 will always love you.