Wentz caught off guard by Irsay's remarks: 'Came out of left field'

Carson Wentz doesn't think his one-year stint with the Indianapolis Colts was "a mistake," as Colts owner Jim Irsay described. In fact, Wentz, now a member of the Washington Commanders, said Irsay's recent remarks caught him off guard.

"Last year was a really fun year," the quarterback said Wednesday on "The Colin Cowherd Podcast."

"We did some incredible things, (but) came up short at the end. Obviously, I struggled down the stretch there, and timing was poor. I didn't expect that, I didn't expect things to unfold the way they did, and I thought things were in a pretty good place there.

"I had an awesome relationship with every single person in that building, can't say enough good things about the people over there. (Irsay's comment) kind of came out of left field. He's entitled to his own opinion, and he's entitled to do what he wants with his football team."

Wentz, who joined Indianapolis in the 2021 offseason via trade from the Philadelphia Eagles, put up solid numbers with the Colts last year, but he failed to reach the playoffs. Indianapolis reportedly also grew frustrated with his lack of leadership and reckless playing style throughout the campaign.

After trading first- and third-round picks for Wentz in 2021, the Colts sent the 29-year-old to the Commanders this offseason. Irsay recently said it was "very obvious" his club had to move on from the veteran signal-caller.

Wentz completed 62.4% of his passes for 3,563 yards and 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 2021. Indy fell one win short of the playoffs after its Wentz-led offense scored just 11 points in a Week 18 loss to the previously 2-14 Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Commanders and Wentz will visit the Colts in Week 8 this season.