Dec 20, 2020; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) takes off his helmet against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Carson Wentz trade apparently didn’t sit well with the Philadelphia Eagles. After investing years of time and millions in cold hard cash on the former No. 2 pick, Philadelphia had to move Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts last week for a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and a conditional second-rounder in 2022.
There simply was not a huge trade market for Wentz. While the Chicago Bears joined Indianapolis in showing interest in Wentz, they grew impatient over trade talks.
Other quarterback-needy teams in that of the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots and Denver Broncos did not have any real interest in a Carson Wentz trade. It led to a watered-down market for his services, as evidenced by the Eagles’ reaction to the return they received.
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“Not thrilled. They recognize the return they got versus what they invested in (Wentz) does not match up. The reality is they were selling at a low point,” ESPN’s Tim McManus noted (h/t the NY Post). “There was one team really hot after him because of Frank Reich’s connection to Wentz, and that was the Colts,” McManus added. “So I don’t think the Eagles wake up happy to this, but they recognize it was fair market value – all things considered.”
It was back in April of 2016 that the Eagles traded up to the No. 2 overall pick in order to acquire Wentz. That move required Philadelphia giving up the eighth pick, a third-round pick and a fourth-round pick in 2016, a first-round pick in 2017 and a second-round selection in 2018.
This is one of the reasons that Eagles’ brass is not happy about the return it got for Wentz from Indianapolis. That’s a lot of draft capital for a quarterback who missed the conclusions of three seasons due to injury and was benched this past year. Ultimately, Wentz never proved to be a franchise-type quarterback for Philadelphia.
The Eagles must now go back to the drawing board. They have 2020 second-round pick Jalen Hurts on the roster. However, he’s not guaranteed to start in 2021. Meanwhile, recent reports suggest that Philadelphia could very well opt to use the No. 6 pick in April’s draft on a quarterback.
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There’s, however, some decent news on this front. The conditional second-round pick Philadelphia acquired from Indianapolis in the Carson Wentz trade can turn into a first-round selection should he play 75% of the Colts snaps in 2021 or suit up in 70% of their snaps and lead the team to a playoff appearance. At this point, it seems to make sense to believe said pick will be in the first round.
Either way, the Eagles knew they had to pull off a Wentz trade. Other interested team knew that, too. It led to a watered-down market for the quarterback’s services and some unhappy people within the Eagles’ organization.