It’s been an eventful offseason so far for the Eagles organization. Fans witnessed the return of DeSean Jackson, a receiver whom the team has been trying to retrieve for a couple of years now. The fanbase also witnessed the team adding not one but two running backs; one in which is ranked for the 3rd most rushing yards since 2016. It’s been eventful, to say the least, but with OTA’s starting on Tuesday there’s still one debate that’s continuing to heat up as the days pass.
Howie Roseman has continually mentioned to the fans and the media that the Eagles are ready and willing to extend Quarterback Carson Wentz. Which is great or terrible, depending on which side of the nest your standing on.
Here’s been the issue so far, many folks have been saying that Wentz doesn’t deserve that money YET for the simple fact that he can’t seem to stay healthy. Wentz tore his ACL in a game against the Rams back in December of 2017. As for what happened after; well you know the rest, the Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl with Nick Foles at the helm.
Then came the 2018 season, Wentz was still fighting his way back but many felt he was rushing. The team was struggling to produce with Foles as their QB in the beginning of the season. Many factors came in to play as it seemed the whole team was suffering from injuries, it felt like a plague or as some would call it a “Super Bowl hangover”.
Carson Wentz did return, but he didn’t look as comfortable as he used to. Can you blame him? According to Doctors it usually takes a little over a full year to recover from an ACL injury. Still, although it wasn’t pretty, Wentz went on to pass for over 3,000 yards, 21 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 69%. In just 11 games, he finished in the top 10 for QB rating, ahead of Jared Goff, Andrew Luck, Dak Prescott, and Ben Roethlisberger.
Speaking of Roethlisberger, he just recently signed a 2-year extension for $68 million, which amounts to $34 million annually. Two thoughts on that: one, if Ben deserves $34 million than Wentz should easily surpass that; two, Wentz and Roethlisberger share the same agent. So things are getting interesting now.
Let’s also throw in another quarterback to the mix. The Eagles rival Dallas Cowboys have been rumored to be working on an extension with Dak Prescott. Does anyone truly believe Dak is worth more than Wentz? Don’t get me wrong, Dak made some progress last year but remove Ezekiel Elliot from the equation and what do you get? Exactly. I wouldn’t put it past the Eagles brass if they’re waiting for Jerry Jones to make his move on Dak before extending Wentz. Why? I’m glad you asked.
Join me in the nest and keep an open mind. I wrote an article not too long ago mentioning how this season is redemption time for Wentz. In that article, I stated that In Wentz’ first 40 career games, he’s drawn very fair comparisons to Peyton Manning. The 26-year-old has completed 63% of his passes while passing for 10,152 yards. He’s also tallied 70 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. Not convinced enough I see, ok let’s compare him to Prescott then. In 48 games, Dak has 10,876 passing yards, 67 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. Ok now let’s go back up a few lines, remember those stats on Wentz are based on only 40 games.
Carson Wentz is the quarterback that this city needs but the one fans don’t deserve yet. I’ll admit that I’ve had to check myself at times when Foles was doing the great things he did. Here’s the reality though, Wentz showed the world a tremendous sample size of what he can do. If there’s anything you, as a fan, should take away from Wentz’ injuries is the time he has had to mature.
Carson got an expensive ride into what it takes to win not only playoff games but a Super Bowl. He may not have the in-game experience but from the angle he’s seen it, it makes me believe that the team has their franchise QB for the next 10 years. There’s no way the team would’ve invested so much into trading up for him if they didn’t believe he would be great. Injuries plagued him in college but that didn’t stop him at all. I strongly believe we have yet to see the best of Wentz.
As for the possible contract numbers, my opinion is the Eagles aren’t worried about how much Wentz will cost. I’m sure the range will be between $30 million to $37 million, either way, it won’t matter. The franchise is in the position where they just want to show fans and Wentz just how much they believe in him. So here’s the real question, how much do YOU believe in him?
Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
