If you haven’t heard the endless rumors of Carson Wentz wanting to leave the Eagles, then congratulations on just being born. How did you start reading so quickly? Baby genius..
Anywho. The market for Carson Wentz and his humungous contract is tricky to read. Which teams are desperate for QB help and have the cap space to swallow the hit? Are there teams who tick one box but miss the other? Here’s your complete guide to potential suitors.
Out of the question
- Kansas City – duh
- Green Bay – duh
- Buffalo – duh
- Baltimore – fun to think about but no
- Tampa – wouldn’t that be something
- Tennessee – nope
- Cleveland – they should but won’t
- Arizona – duh
- Giants – lol
- Atlanta – Ryan might not be back, but this won’t happen
- Cincinnati – duh
- Chargers – Herbert is legit
- Rams – Goff sucks but they won’t move on
- Seattle – duh
- Dallas – lol
- Houston – Watson wants out, but this isn’t a fit
- Jacksonville – Trevor Lawrence
Never say never
New Orleans
Brees’ arm looks absolutely cooked. It’s time the Saints look into acquiring their next franchise quarterback and no, it shouldn’t be Taysom Hill nor should it be Jameis Winston. Brees will probably be back next season, but who will they rely on when he’s gone?
The Saints are in a deeper cap hole than the Eagles, and there’s absolutely no way the Eagles would trade Wentz to a team like the Saints. Right?
But on the flipside, having Sean Payton, Alvin Kamara, Slant Boy, and that offensive line would make life a lot easier for Wentz.
Pittsburgh
Big Ben is big done. Did you see his last few games? The deep ball just wasn’t there for him. His decision making grew more questionable by the game. He lost to the Browns. It’s time for him to hang it up.
Mason Rudolph is a potato of a quarterback and Joshua Dobbs isn’t good. They need a new QB to support that dominant defense. With all reports that Carson isn’t “coachable” you’d think a coach like Mike Tomlin would be able to rectify that.
Replacing Roethlisberger with a quarterback who was compared to him coming out of college isn’t super far fetched, but still highly unlikely.
Miami
The Dolphins moving on from Tua after one year? It’s pretty unlikely, but this is a team that moved on from Josh Rosen a year after they traded for him. They also couldn’t decide whether Tua or Ryan Fitzpatrick was their best starter this year.
I do not think they’d move on from Tua for an “older” quarterback, but the prospect of pairing Wentz with either DeVonta Smith or Ja’Marr Chase could be a reality for a different team.
Despite the dominance of Buffalo, Miami still seems to be just a quarterback away from being a contender for the AFC East crown. Wentz could help them get there. The Dolphins have two first-round picks and two second-round picks. Could one of those seconds do the deal? That would allow the Dolphins to solidify a lot of areas on that team to surround Wentz with talent.
Teams likely keeping a close eye on Carson Wentz
Washington
The Eagles and Washington are no strangers to inter-division trades of a star quarterback.
A 33-year-old Donovan McNabb was coming off a Pro Bowl season where he went 10-4, threw for 3,553 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions when he was traded to the team’s divisional rival. Could the Eagles do the same with Carson?
Would a second and third-round pick do it? The Washington team is a quarterback away from being extremely competitive in the NFC, but would the Eagles do that favor for a rival? If their view on Wentz is that he is indeed regressing, this is a move they could seriously consider.
Minnesota
25-21-1. Does that sound like a great record to continue with? Well, that’s what Mr. Fully Guaranteed has given the Vikings since coming over as a free agent. While he was a Pro Bowler in 2019, that’s sandwiched between an 8-7-1 2018 and 7-9 2020.
The Vikings are tied to Cousins in 2021, but can move on in 2022. If they could find a way to expedite his departure, adding Wentz makes a ton of sense.
Imagine Wentz getting to throw to Justin Jefferson? Eagles Twitter would erupt.
Las Vegas
The other thing I love about Wentz is his preparation is off the charts. This guy works at it hard. He studies, he’s really into it, and when he goes out and practices, it’s like a game. He is really into football, man. I challenge you guys out here today, when you go back and start practicing, you remember Carson Wentz.
That was current Las Vegas head coach Jon Gruden when talking to high school players at PDQ restaurant in Cherry Hill, NJ in 2017.
Lemme tell you, he’s 237 pounds and he’s every bit as athletic as Andrew Luck or Cam Newton, and I believe that 100 percent.
That was current Las Vegas GM Mike Mayock speaking about Carson Wentz prior to the NFL draft in 2016.
Obviously, it’s not 2016 or 2017 anymore, but the past interest of those two in Wentz is extremely intriguing to think about.
The Raiders can cut Derek Carr this offseason and only have $2.5 million in dead cap while saving $19.6 million and $19.8 million in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Wentz might not be a significant upgrade over Carr, but he’d definitely bring the star power that Las Vegas needs.
Carolina
Teddy Bridgewater isn’t the answer but it’s hard to imagine the team moving on from him for a guy only a month younger.
On paper, a team of Wentz, McCaffrey, Anderson, and Moore would be hard to defend (Curtis Samuel is a free agent). If Joe Brady stays on as offensive coordinator, Wentz could have a career year.
But all signs point to Carolina drafting their next franchise quarterback.
Continued on the page below.
Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
