Indianapolis traded Carson Wentz plus picks No. 47 and No.…

The first correction is the transaction date and exact draft structure. Indianapolis officially completed the trade on March 16, 2022. The Colts sent quarterback Carson Wentz, their 2022 second-round pick at No. 47 and their 2022 seventh-round pick at No. 240 to Washington. In return, Indianapolis received Washington's No. 42 second-rounder, No. 73 third-rounder and a conditional 2023 third-round pick. The legacy row's January-style date was wrong, and the No. 42 asset should not be described as if Indianapolis directly selected Andrew Booth there because the Colts traded that pick before it was exercised.

Washington's quarterback outcome was brief. NFL records show Wentz appearing in eight games with seven starts for the Commanders in 2022, completing 172 of 276 passes for 1,755 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. A finger injury cost him a large portion of the season, and Washington released him on February 27, 2023. The Commanders also used No. 47 on defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis. Mathis appeared in only one game as a rookie, then 10 games in 2023 and 12 in 2024, recording no sacks before Washington released him in December 2024. No. 240 became cornerback Christian Holmes, who appeared in 30 games with two starts across 2022 and 2023 and contributed primarily on special teams before leaving the organization in 2024.

Indianapolis received more lasting value. The Colts used No. 73 on tight end Jelani Woods, who played 15 games as a rookie and caught 25 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns. Injuries prevented Woods from adding another Colts regular-season appearance, so that selection did not become the long-term piece the club hoped for. The 2023 conditional third-rounder ultimately stayed in the third round and became No. 79, where Indianapolis selected wide receiver Josh Downs. Through the first two games of the 2026 season, NFL records credit Downs with 49 games, 28 starts, 207 receptions, 2,249 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He has become the clearest direct player success in the transaction.

The No. 42 pick also retained substantial trade value. During the 2022 draft, Indianapolis packaged No. 42 with its own No. 122 selection and received Nos. 53, 77 and 192 from Minnesota. The Colts used those picks on Alec Pierce, Bernhard Raimann and Andrew Ogletree. Because No. 122 was also required, those three players cannot be credited wholly to the Wentz trade. Still, the exchange shows that the Washington-derived second-rounder remained an important asset in a larger trade-down that expanded Indianapolis' draft class rather than disappearing without a return.

The hindsight verdict strongly favors Indianapolis. Washington paid meaningful draft capital for one uneven Wentz season and received only limited long-term contribution from Mathis and Holmes. Indianapolis exited Wentz's contract, gained a productive rookie year from Woods, turned the future third-rounder into a multi-year starting-caliber receiver in Downs, and preserved additional value from No. 42 through the Minnesota trade-down. An A- for the Colts and D+ for the Commanders reflects both the quality of Downs' established production and the short duration of Washington's return without pretending every later Colts pick came solely from this transaction.