Day 3 of the offseason and the buzz about Carson Wentz’s future (or lack thereof) with the Philadelphia Eagles remains loud as ever.
The latest on Wentz comes from NFL insider Adam Schefter making a Wednesday morning appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic’s new morning program, The John Kincade Show. I transcribed the relevant portions.
ADAM SCHEFTER: Well, I’ve said all year long, I think we’ve talked about this. You always start with the coach and quarterback, right? So, yesterday, at least Doug Pederson was scheduled to meet with Jeffrey Lurie. […] So they were supposed to meet yesterday, I never heard anything amidst the Browns [COVID-19 situation], Nick Caserio [to the Houston Texans], and everything else going on. But I assume [since] we heard nothing, everything went as well as you could hope it to go. The expectation was that Doug was going to be back. OK, so that answers that question. And now we go to the quarterback. And friend of the station Rob Maadi reported on it yesterday. I believe what Rob says. That … how did he depict it exactly in the AP story?
BOB COONEY: It’s not exact but it was ‘I’m going to take a break for a little bit, and then come back and talk and I hope it doesn’t end in divorce.’
SCHEFTER: I would just say this, again. All year long, we talk about it, it comes back to the coach and the quarterback. And an organization that had the kind of year that the Eagles did, are we going to believe that everybody is going to be back? We know Jim Schwartz won’t be back, so there will be a shakeup on the defensive side of the football.
And I think the real question involves Carson Wentz. Now, my opinion — my opinion, I want to be very clear about this because, again, sometimes you say things and they wind up as reports. I don’t believe Carson Wentz will be back. That’s my opinion. Again, today. I reserve the right to change that opinion based on the events that transpire over the next month or two. But I believe that they’ll look to move on from him. I believe he wants to be traded. I believe what my work partner Chris Mortensen reported on Sunday, that the relations is “fractured beyond repair.” When he said those words, I went, ‘What?’ Like that was my reaction. I was … ‘Whoa! Mort. OK.’ And I think when you hear that, I think it speaks to the level of frustration that has been built up. I don’t think that that is easily wiped away. And I do think, ultimately, they’re going to have to look to trade him.
Now, when Howie Roseman spoke to the media this week, I think his message was, and correct me if I’m wrong, we’re not talking about that right now. We’re not looking into it. We’re not going to talk about that right now.
But they’ve got a problem. The quarterback is going to want to be traded. He hasn’t said it yet. But he does. And he hasn’t complained about it publicly. But he wants to be traded.
Schefter clearly said he’s sharing his opinion but it’s not like his stance is completely uninformed. And his language about Wentz wanting out is pretty definitive.
Of course, whether the Eagles actually oblige Wentz’s alleged request remains to be seen. Schefter mused about what the team might be able to get in return for Wentz if the team does move on:
ADAM SCHEFTER: If they do trade Carson Wentz … you know, it’s interesting. I haven’t asked this question, and I’d like to. And I’m going to this week when the rest of this week unfolds and I speak with some people. What would the return on Carson Wentz be?
JOHN KINCADE: When Mort joined us on Monday, he said what his reporting was in just talking to people casually, he doesn’t think he would return a first-round draft pick. He thinks it would begin with a two and maybe something else in addition to that.
ADAM SCHEFTER: I don’t think I disagree with him at all. And, again, I think back that the contract is such that … if Carson wants to be traded the way I think he does, then he might be willing to rework the money for Team X but not Philadelphia. And they need to do it by the third day of the [2021] league year when the [2022] roster bonus is due. So you have those discussions in January, February, and you tell the team that’s acquiring him, ‘Okay, yeah, I’ll rework this. I’ll even maybe take less here.’ That could be. However they decided to sift through it and sort it out. But if the money is acceptable, I think they get a two and something else, too. If the contract stands, and Carson’s inflexible, I think the Eagles might have to eat some of that money. I remember when the Texans traded Brock Osweiler to the Broncos, they traded Brock Osweiler and a two. So that the Browns would take on the contract.
Mort reported that Wentz is willing to facilitate a trade. But it remains to be seen to what extent. And, as BGN’s Benjmain Solak broke down, it’s not necessarily a simple endeavor.
There’s a lot of time left until the new league year begins on March 17, which is when Wentz is first eligible to be traded. Maybe the two sides can work something out to remain together. Or maybe we’ll continue to hear that Wentz wants out.
