The Biggest Win
Josh Cooley
Carson Wentz’s life was about to change forever, and he had no control over the results. For a self-described “achiever” who often only sleeps six hours on his off days—so he has time to tackle his to-do list— this was a problem.
It was April 2016, and the annual NFL draft was approaching. The pre-draft hype machine was chugging along at full steam. Pundits were pontificating about Wentz as the potential number-one pick overall.
This kind of limelight was unfamiliar territory for the young man from Bismarck, North Dakota. Sure, he had been on the roster at North Dakota State for all five of its consecutive NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) titles from 2011 to 2015—the last two as starting quarterback. But the Bison play in the Missouri Valley Conference—an obscure frontier outpost on the college football landscape.
An NFL team was going to draft Wentz—that much was clear. But which one? And when? Some early prognostications said mid-first round. Then, thanks to a prolific pro day prior to the draft, his stock began to climb. Would he begin his career in Cleveland, Denver, San Francisco, Jacksonville, or New York (Jets)? Each team had varying levels of unrest at the quarterback position. There was even scuttlebutt of Dallas trading up to anoint him as Tony Romo’s successor. The hype machine clattered along.
The whole process wasn’t easy for a guy like Wentz, who’s wired to manage the final outcome of games as much as possible through careful preparation, study, training, and execution. Most quarterbacks, by nature, are control freaks to some degree. They put in an inordinate amount of hours to master one of the hardest positions in sports. Chance and randomness are anathema. Eventually, though, Wentz had to put the unknown into the hands of the One who knows all things.
“One thing I try and always avoid is to not let it be something bigger than it needs to be,” Wentz says. “Going through the draft process, I don’t know how many times I told people, ‘Hey, it’s just football. It’s still just a game.’”
As the draft approached, Wentz positioned himself as well as he could. Most importantly, he humbled himself before his heavenly Father. “God,” he prayed, “bring me where you want me, so I can grow spiritually.”
In a small way, Wentz’s humble petition resembled Solomon’s prayer for divine wisdom in 1 Kings 3. As the ancient Israelite king assumed his father David’s throne, he could have asked the Lord for anything— fame, riches, honor, long life, the destruction of his enemies. Instead, he asked for the ability to govern God’s people. Similarly, Wentz wasn’t focused on the fact that he was about to make the rare (and extremely lucrative) leap from FCS quarterback to likely first-round NFL draft pick. Like Solomon, he simply longed for God’s guiding hand.
And God’s hand moved. Two weeks before the draft, the Tennessee Titans traded the first overall pick to the St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams, in a total exchange of nine selections over two seasons. A week later, the Cleveland Browns followed suit, in a seven-pick swap with the Philadelphia Eagles—including the second overall selection.
On opening night, April 28, 2016, the Rams drafted Jared Goff first overall. At number two, the Eagles minted Wentz as their franchise quarterback.
It was a surreal moment for the six-foot-five, 237-pound redhead. When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called his name, Wentz strode across the stage at Roosevelt University in Chicago to meet the league’s chief. The two men hugged, shared a few words, and held up an Eagles jersey together as cameras flashed. Wentz had just become the highest-drafted player from an FCS school since the NCAA split Division I into two classifications in 1978. The kid from far-flung Bismarck was heading 1,600 miles east.
Next stop: The City of Brotherly Love.
When Wentz got to Philly, that’s exactly what he found in the Eagles’ locker room: biblical agape. His new NFL teammates were a small but spiritually vibrant group of Christians who warmly welcomed him. “They were very open, very loving, and very caring,” Wentz remembers. “When we got to know each other, it was challenging in a good way. Like Proverbs [27:17] says: Iron sharpens iron.”
Eagles players have been gathering together for Bible study since at least the early 1990s when Hall of Famer Reggie White was terrorizing quarterbacks on the field and preaching the Word off it. “The Minister of Defense,” an ordained minister who died of cardiac arrhythmia in 2004, started the group during his time with the Eagles (1985–1992). In the years since the group ebbed and flowed. During the 2004 season, when the Eagles reached Super Bowl XXXIX, Ted Winsley, team chaplain since 2002, recalls that close to thirty players regularly attended the team Bible study: “When I got there, it felt very dry, so our major focus was on not sinning. That’s where we were in the beginning. When I would tell people the names of the guys who were there, they’d be like, ‘He’s saved?’”
The dynamic began to change significantly in 2012 when the Eagles drafted Nick Foles, a six-foot-six quarterback from the University of Arizona. Foles started twenty-four games over three seasons, before being traded to the Rams.
During his first stint with the Eagles, Foles quickly teamed with Winsley and wide receiver Jason Avant (whose final NFL season came in 2015) to reach out to other players. Attendance remained much lower than in previous years, but the group was collectively stronger. They desired deeper fellowship and accountability and hungered for rich, gospel-centered teaching. They spurred each other on to share their faith, both in the locker room and beyond.
“You saw, from the very beginning, the hunger and sincerity from Nick,” Winsley says. “Nick is a leader, period. He has a quiet demeanor, he’s approachable, but he’s not afraid to speak his mind and live what he believes.”
In 2014, Trey Burton (tight end/special teams), Chris Maragos (safety/ special teams), and Jordan Matthews (wide receiver) arrived in Philadelphia and joined the Bible study. But when the Eagles traded Foles for Sam Bradford in a March 2015 quarterback swap, the small group of believers had an important choice to make.
“We either could have kept the momentum and kept the seeds and the fruit and stuff producing, or we could have just let it all fall away and gone our own different ways,” Burton recalls. “But when Foles left, we felt like there was something special being built there, so we took it like a storm and basically started hitting even harder. We kind of understood the direction and felt like we knew what God was calling to happen here in Philly.”
Linebacker Jordan Hicks, a third-round draft pick, joined the team and Bible study in 2015, and tight end Zach Ertz, a second-round draft pick in 2013, committed to the group after submitting his life to Christ at the start of the 2016 season.
In May 2017, Foles signed a two-year deal to return to the Eagles. “A big reason why I wanted to come back to Philly,” Foles says, “is because of a great group of guys who want to do great things in Jesus’s name.”
As Wentz witnessed his new teammates’ spiritual hunger, he remembered his pre-draft prayer. God had answered in a mighty way, and the rookie was left to marvel at what God had done. Unmistakably divine fingerprints covered everyone’s paths to Philadelphia. “I definitely got that sense right away, but it took time to truly get a sense of how much he answered my prayer,” Wentz says. “He knocked it out of the park. God is good. I can’t say that enough.”
The group of believers on the Eagles’ 2017 roster provides a tiny window into God’s expansive kingdom. There are Caucasians and African-Americans. There are high first-round draft picks (Wentz), undrafted go-getters (Burton and Maragos), and everything in between. The players hail from all over the country—California, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin. Their collective faith stories paint a beautiful tapestry of the Lord’s sovereign, saving grace.
The group quickly gelled and committed to meet often for Bible study, prayer, and strategic planning on how to affect the team for Christ—not only during the season but also during the offseason and preseason. Once the season started, and players’ wives moved into the Philadelphia area, the group held a regular couples’ devotional time as well.
For Wentz and his teammates, a tightly knit group of fellowship provided a priceless spiritual oasis in the midst of a grueling season. Today’s NFL presents players with enormous spiritual challenges. There are obvious potential pitfalls, such as the instant fortune that athletes attain. The allure of celebrity, narcissism, and sinful gratification assaults these men as soon as they arrive in the league (and often before). Then, of course, there is pressure to perform from management, coaches, fans, and—for many players—the guy behind them on the roster. The NFL’s popularity doesn’t have a trickle-down effect on players’ psyches—it’s more like a roaring waterfall. Every feat or foible is rehashed endlessly on TV news cycles, radio talk shows, and social media. “Everything is overblown— good and bad,” Ertz says. “If you have a good game, you’re the best player ever. If you have a terrible game, you’re the reason they lost.”
Pressure also comes from the NFL’s salary structure. Unlike other pro leagues, the NFL does not fully guarantee player contracts. Each deal is negotiated and structured differently, but because of the league’s high injury rate, large active roster, and other factors, players rarely collect the total value of the contracts they sign. As such, many players often risk their personal health to stay on the field.
Says Winsley: “I know a player who—if I said his name, you’d know who he is—where the doctor said, ‘If you take another hit like that, you’re going to be paralyzed.’ It’s his contract year. He looked at me in the eyes, put his helmet on, and said, ‘I got to go.’ And his wife said, ‘Baby, you got to go do this.’”
While the magnitude of the issues confronting NFL players might be unique, the issues themselves are not. The professional stage might amplify the fame, pressure, money, physicality, accessibility to vice, etc., but everyone who has ever thrown a pass, kicked a ball, swam a lap, or swung a bat has struggled with the same basic challenges. Who doesn’t worry? Who doesn’t struggle with pride or self-sufficiency? Whose faith hasn’t wavered in trials? Who doesn’t sometimes seek their identity in sports, work, or other things apart from Christ? As 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.”
The same sin-stained heart that beats in you also beats in the athletes featured in this book. At the heart level—where God does business (Jeremiah 17:10)—their struggles are your struggles, even as they strive to become more like their Savior.
Likewise, their spiritual victories are your spiritual victories. They rejoice when they see someone submit to Christ. They are grateful for personal spiritual growth. They thank the Father when he answers prayer.
As you read the stories in this book, think about your story. Who’s calling the shots—you or God? Where do you see unmistakably divine fingerprints covering your path? How are you seeking to grow in the Lord and glorify him?
Now, think about the sport(s) you play. How did you come to the team you’re on, or the sport you compete in? Can you trace God’s purposes for being there? What do you hope to accomplish? Is it just a pastime, or can it be something much greater—something with eternal significance?
Left to themselves, the deeds of mankind—even the greatest athletic accomplishments—are transient, a fleeting vapor. The years of our lives “are soon gone, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10). But what we do for God’s glory will follow us into eternity.
Sometimes God brings together a team of believers to make a significant impact, like he has done in Philadelphia. Perhaps this is what he’s doing in your life, too. Or maybe you’re in a situation without many other believers around, and God’s calling you to be a strong, solitary witness. Either way, you have a job to do. Matthew 5:14–16 provides the game plan:
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Being a Christian athlete is a fantastic opportunity to light the world with God’s glory. You’ll connect with people you wouldn’t otherwise reach, each one a potential life God can change. But be forewarned: Being a Christian athlete isn’t easy. The challenges you’ll experience will be significant. You’ll get pressure to conform to the world, from both inside and outside your team. You’ll deal with frustrating people, maddening situations, and spiritual lows. Satan will attack you. This is all part of sports—and life. So prepare yourself with the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18).
As you compete, you’ll see that sports also can be an effective means of personal spiritual maturation. You’ll witness God’s goodness and faithfulness in action, and be stretched to grow in new ways.
So don’t hide your light. Let it shine brightly. No matter where you are on your journey, God can use you to do great things—for his glory.