Which team won the Carson Wentz, Matthew Stafford trades? – prideofdetroit.com

On Thursday, all the drama surrounding Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz finally came to an end. The Philadelphia Eagles and the Indianapolis Colts agreed on a trade that would send to the Eagles a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 second-round pick that will turn into a first-round pick if Wentz plays 75 percent of the snaps in 2021 (or 70 percent and the Colts make the playoffs) and send Wentz to the Colts.

For Wentz, it’s a chance to reboot his career under Frank Reich, who was his offensive coordinator when he first entered the league. For the Eagles, it’s not the Matthew Stafford-type of deal they were hoping for, but it’s not a bad haul for a quarterback who had played so poorly he was considered a backup by the end of the year.

Obviously, this trade didn’t have flashiness and excitement of the Detroit Lions/Los Angeles Rams quarterback swap, but it adds to an already unconventional offseason.

So today’s Question of the Day is:

Which of the 4 teams in the two quarterback trades got the best deal?

My answer: First, let’s go over what each team got and lost:

Philadelphia Eagles

Gained:

• 2021 third-round pick
• 2022 second round pick (could be a first rounder)
• $816,928 in cap room (Wentz’ original cap hit $34.67M – $33.8M in dead cap)

Lost:

Indianapolis Colts

Gained:

Lost:

• 2021 third-round pick
• 2022 second round pick (could be a first rounder)
• $25.4 million in cap (Wentz’s contract for 2021)

Detroit Lions

Gained:

• 2021 third-round pick
• 2022 first-round pick
• 2023 first-round pick
• Jared Goff

Lost:

• Matthew Stafford
• $13.83 million in cap room ($14 million saved from Stafford contract – $27.8M from Goff contract)

Los Angeles Rams

Gained:

Lost:

• 2021 third-round pick
• 2022 first-round pick
• 2023 first-round pick
• Jared Goff
• $7.6 million in cap room ($12.4 in savings from Goff, $20 million in new cap hit from Stafford)

Your opinion on who got the best deal likely depends on whether you’re taking the short or long-term approach. The Lions lost the best immediate asset in Matthew Stafford and lost a big chunk of 2021 cap space, but they also got the best haul for the future by a large margin.

The Rams got an immediate piece that puts them into Super Bowl territory this year, but they’ll have to operate without a first-round pick for another couple years.

As for the other trade, it’s hard for me to label either of these teams as winners. The Eagles got back a decent amount of draft capital, but they got almost no cap relief for sending Wentz away and it’s nowhere near the haul the Lions got. And while the Colts have plenty of resources to absorb Wentz’s contract and the draft picks it cost them, this feels like a little too much hubris on Reich’s part. I’m not so sure Wentz is the piece that gets the Colts over the top.

Maybe it’s the Kool-Aid speaking, but I think the Lions made the absolute best of their situation of the four teams, and actually managed to part way with a player in an amicable fashion.

Your turn.