Carson Wentz traded to Colts after Bears back out of talks

The Eagles and Colts reportedly agreed to a deal on Thursday to send quarterback Carson Wentz from Philadelphia to Indianapolis in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional second-round pick that can become a first-round pick. If Wentz plays 75% of the snaps or plays 70% of the snaps and the Colts make the playoffs next season, that 2022 pick becomes a first-rounder.

The Carson Wentz watch is finally over.

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If Carson Wentz’s playtime is at or above 75% next season, the conditional 2022 second-round pick would become a first-round pick, per sources. The second-round pick also.could become a first if Wentz plays at least 70 percent of the plays and the Colts go to the playoffs.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 18, 2021

The deal cannot be officially processed until the new NFL year begins March 17, but the agreement is already in place after the Eagles and Colts worked to agree to terms over the last couple of weeks. Howie Roseman and the Eagles will take on a record $33.8 million dead-cap hit as part of the deal, while the Colts will have to pay Wentz a $10 million roster bonus on March 19.

As for the quarterback situation in Philadelphia, Schefter had this to say as part of his reporting on the Wentz trade:

…the Eagles are likely to turn to Jalen Hurts, though they also intend to bring in competition for him. The Eagles’ starting job is not expected to automatically go to Hurts.

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What about the Chicago Bears?

Shortly after the Wentz deal was announced, NFL insider Adam Caplan reported that the Chicago Bears had backed out of the trade talks recently. The Colts and Bears were long reported to be the two most interested teams, with the Bears possibly even offering more than the Colts at some point. Wentz has connections to both organizations, but the Colts were thought to be his preferred landing spot because of his relationship with head coach Frank Reich. Caplan adds that the Carolina Panthers were not interested.

Interesting insight here from Adam Caplan. The #Bears recently backed out of the trade talks, presumably because Carson Wentz wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about going there. https://t.co/UDUY64a6hE

— The Birds Blitz (@TheBirdsBlitz) February 18, 2021

Exactly why the Bears backed out of talks isn’t known, and it’s likely that there are multiple reasons. They could have gotten cold feet about acquiring the hefty contract of a player they believed wasn’t 100% sold on coming there. Or it’s possible they grew frustrated with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman slow-playing the negotiations. Or maybe they saw the writing on the wall during their talks with Roseman and knew Wentz was destined for Indianapolis. Whatever the reason, their decision to back out likely put increased pressure on Roseman to make a move sooner rather than later.

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Mike Maher is the editor and publisher of The Birds Blitz. Follow him on Twitter @mikeMaher and @TheBirdsBlitz and check out his archive for all of his latest stories about the Eagles and the NFL.