Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo are reporting that the Philadelphia Eagles have been getting trade inquiries about quarterback Carson Wentz. And while the Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman still insist that they are not “in a hurry to trade Wentz,” they are at least listening to what other teams have to say. Here is what Rapoport and Garafolo had to say in their report on Thursday morning:
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.
The Eagles are not in a hurry to trade Wentz — and in fact as of now intend for him to return for 2021 under new coach Nick Sirianni — but they did field the calls and discussed the issue. GM Howie Roseman will almost always listen, and this is no different.
New Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has remained noncommital when asked about the quarterback position, refusing to anoint Carson Wentz as the starter while also stopping short of acknowledging that he intends for there to be a quarterback competition between Wentz and Jalen Hurts in the summer. Sirianni is in a tough position after being hired less than two weeks ago, as he is still trying to finalize his coaching staff while navigating the Philadelphia media and an awkward and unsettled quarterback situation.
All the while, Wentz himself has remained silent and has not spoken publicly since his benching late in the season. He declined to speak to the media after the season and has been mostly quiet on social media. Meanwhile, reports have continued to trickle out that his relationship with the organization is strained, even after the team fired head coach Doug Pederson.
What teams could be interested in Wentz?
As for teams that could be interested in Carson Wentz, Rapoport and Garafolo had this to offer:
…the Colts are always linked to him because of their need at QB and because of coach Frank Reich. They will call on all the available passers this offseason. There are others.
Wentz signed a four-year, $128 million extension in June of 2019, and because of the way it’s structured, a release is nearly impossible. But a trade before his $10 million roster bonus is due on March 19 would give the Eagles a more manageable dead money charge of $33.8 million, while a new team would take on $25.4 million in salary — and a four-year, $98.4 million existing contract.
Aside from the Colts, there is no shortage of teams that need quarterbacks, and the market for Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was surprisingly robust. Assuming the Jaguars draft Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick, the other teams that could be in the market for a quarterback like Wentz are the Saints, Panthers, Broncos, Washington Football Team, Bears, 49ers, Patriots, Jets, and the Steelers.
A year ago at this time, the thought of the Philadelphia Eagles trading Carson Wentz was laughable. Now, it appears likely.
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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.
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