It’s happening. Teams across the league are beginning to pick up the phone and start dialing with the intent of swaying Carson Wentz away from the Eagles. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported on Thursday morning that while Wentz hasn’t submitted a trade request, the Eagles are at least willing to hear what teams have to say.
Sources say that teams have begun calling the Eagles on their former starter Wentz, plotting a roadmap for a potential trade as teams get closer to the start of the league year.
Obviously, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford blockbuster should act as a move that firmly resets the market and while Wentz, like Goff, also has a hefty contract you can make the case that the potential upside is far higher if a team can rebuild him and provide a fresh start.
Wentz signed a four-year deal worth $128M prior to the start of the 2019 season, making it very difficult to move. A trade before March 19th would negate his $10M roster bonus and leave the Eagles with only $33.8M in dead money, with the cap hit for a new team being $25.4M.
It is easy to see the value of Wentz in spite of an absurd cap hit. Prior to a 2020 campaign that saw him sacked more than every other QB not named Russell Wilson, Wentz pushed a team of practice squad graduates to a playoff berth on the back of a 2018 season where he rushed the recovery of a torn ACL and still flashed elite potential.
The obvious question for the Eagles is one of belief. They hired an entirely new coaching staff and fired Doug Pederson under what appeared to be a bid to right the wrongs of last season and give themselves a chance at fixing Carson Wentz. Does new Head Coach Nick Sirianni feel comfortable with the idea of losing Wentz and rolling into 2021 with Hurts as the starter?
The Eagles cannot afford to jump out of the pan and into the fire after such a turbulent year. Listening to offers and doing due diligence is the least they, or any team in a similar situation could do.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
