The Eagles still want to trade quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz still wants to be traded. That reality, coupled with Wentz’s Goff-ic contract, is keeping the Eagles from getting the kind of trade offer they’d like to receive.
Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer, in an article explaining the delay in the trade, writes that “league sources doubt [G.M. Howie] Roseman has been offered a first-round pick of any sort for Wentz, this year or in the future.” Recently, Eagles legend Ron Jaworski said that the Colts have offered a pair of second-round picks, with the possibility of an additional third- or fourth-round selection down the round.
Two weeks after news emerged of the trade that will send Matthew Stafford to the Rams and Jared Goff to the Lions, the reality remains that Wentz compares more to Goff than to Stafford, due to Wentz’s contract. While Wentz quite possibly has a better chance than Goff of justifying the many millions still to be earned, now isn’t the ideal time to be shopping Wentz and his long-term deal, which pays out $25 million fully-guaranteed in 2021 and which has more than $15 million more become fully-guaranteed for 2022 only a few days after the start of the new league year. If the goal, as always, is buy low and sell high, the Eagles based on Wentz’s play in 2020 are selling low.
The primary potential suitors continue to be the Colts and the Bears. It continues to make little sense for the Bears to want Wentz or, more importantly, for Wentz to want the Bears. The Colts, therefore, know that they’re the only real option, which makes it very difficult for the Eagles to create real leverage.
Any leverage the Eagles currently possess instantly evaporates if the Colts address their needs elsewhere. While there’s no indication that the Colts are preparing to pivot toward another veteran quarterback, if the Eagles push too hard and wait too long, the Colts will have no choice but to make other plans.
So why not just take the offer of two second-round picks, if Jaworki’s information is correct? It gets the Eagles tnet value for a quarterback whose 2020 performance coupled with his current contract could have easily put the Eagles in Brock Osweiler mode, requiring them to give someone a draft pick to get Wentz’s bloated contract off the books.