There’s no tougher job in sports than playing quarterback in the city of Philadelphia — According to Golden Tate. And that does hold weight to some degree, especially when your backup turns into a damn folk hero overnight.
Former NFL wideout Golden Tate sat down on Bussin’ With The Boys this week and gave us a raw, unfiltered look at what Carson Wentz was really dealing with behind the scenes during his Eagles tenure. And honestly? It confirms everything we already knew — this city builds you up just to tear you down, and not every player can survive that.
Golden Tate on Carson Wentz’s tenure in Philadelphia
@libertylinephl Golden Tate on Carson Wentz during his Eagles tenure #FlyEaglesFly | #Eagles ♬ original sound – The Liberty Line
“Philly is just hard, man.”
Golden Tate didn’t mince words when talking about what it was like watching Wentz go through it:
“Carson… he’s a young guy, you know? And obviously being drafted in the first round and in the city of Philadelphia is just hard, man. I mean, everybody knows their sports and everyone has an opinion and they are not afraid to boo you.”
Welcome to Philly, Carson. You can throw 11 touchdowns in a row, but the minute you miss a wide-open slant on 3rd and 7? BOOOO’d off the field. That’s not hate — that’s just how it works here. We hold the quarterback to the highest possible standard because he represents us. You don’t get to be the face of the franchise without carrying that weight.
“You can have 11 straight good games and one bad game and you getting booed.”
Tate gets it. Wentz didn’t — not fully. And once Nick Foles entered the picture, everything changed.
The Super Bowl Shadow
This is where it gets tough. Because deep down, you know Wentz felt like that 2017 season was his. He was playing like an MVP before his knee exploded in LA. But when Foles came in and actually finished the job? That created a psychological nightmare.
“And then this happens — Nick comes in, takes you the rest of the way. I know like, on camera, I’m super happy for the guy. But deep down, you’re thinking like man, is this the beginning of the end?”
Tell me that doesn’t hit. One day you’re leading the league in touchdowns, and the next, you’re watching a statue get built of your backup. In Philly.
“How do they view me? Do they even think I was a huge part of the Super Bowl run? Although, you know, I didn’t take us the whole way… You just got all these thoughts that pop into your head.”
And that’s the heart of the Carson Wentz story. It wasn’t about talent. It wasn’t about toughness. It was about the mental side of playing in this pressure cooker of a sports town. And after 2017, Wentz was never the same.
The Beginning of the End
Wentz didn’t just lose the city — he lost the locker room. We saw it in real time. The body language. The sideline stares. The leaked reports. Say what you want about media narratives, but when enough smoke piles up, there’s usually a fire underneath it.
Golden Tate wasn’t taking shots. He was just telling the truth. And the truth is that being a quarterback in Philly will eat you alive if you’re not built for it mentally. It’s why we loved Foles. It’s why we believe in Jalen Hurts. And it’s why Wentz’s fall from grace felt so inevitable.
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