Carson Wentz didn’t just leave Sunday with a win over the Green Bay Packers. He walked out with a bonus too.
The Minnesota Vikings rolled past Green Bay, 39-22, and Wentz was at the center of it, throwing three touchdown passes for Minnesota. For anyone who only saw the final score, the path to Wentz becoming the day’s headliner might have looked a little strange.
Kyler Murray opened the game as Minnesota’s starter after winning the job over the summer, but his afternoon went sideways almost immediately. He threw an interception on his first pass and later in the first quarter was ruled out with a concussion after taking a vicious hit to the head.
That turned the offense over to Wentz, with J.J. McCarthy serving as the emergency third quarterback. Wentz handled the rest from there, leading the Vikings to the win and cashing in on the contract language that came with it.
Spotrac shared a tweet laying out the clause in Wentz’s deal. Because he played 60% of the snaps, he earned a $100K bonus for the victory. He can hit that same bonus up to six times before the figure climbs to $150K for the next six.
Not a bad add-on for a quarterback who signed a 1-year, $3M deal with Minnesota.
The result also points Wentz toward another start next week against the Chicago Bears, at least until Murray is ready to return. For now, McCarthy sits behind the veteran as the backup.
Week 1 had its share of surprises, and Wentz steering the Vikings to a double-digit win over the Packers was right near the top of the list.
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