Carson Wentz reintroduced the Eagles to the concept of “supply and demand.”
They had a disgruntled quarterback with a big contract coming off a season in which his passer rating plummeted at a rate unprecedented by a player in his prime since 1950. And, despite trying to drum up a competitive market, reportedly only one team made an offer.
So on Thursday Wentz was traded to the Colts for a third-round pick in 2021 and a conditional second-round pick in 2022 – it could become a first-rounder based on Wentz’s playing time – as the Bears, Broncos and Panthers sat idly by. Not exactly the return anyone would have expected Wentz to command if he was traded after his MVP-caliber season in 2017.
How did the Eagles feel about the trade package received for their former franchise quarterback?
“Not thrilled,” ESPN’s Tim McManus said Friday during a “Get Up!” appearance, according to 247Sports. “They recognize the return they got versus what they invested in [Wentz] does not match up. The reality is they were selling at a low point.
“Carson Wentz was coming off one of the worst years of his career – one of the worst years of any quarterback in the NFL last year.”
Wentz’s 72.8 passer rating in 2020 was only ahead of Jets quarterback Sam Darnold’s 72.7 mark.
Wentz is “due to make $47 million over the next two seasons and he’s got some questions about coach-ability that he needs to answer,” McManus said. “That was known throughout the league. The market was pretty warm.”
To move up from No. 13 to No. 2 and select Wentz in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Eagles made two separate trades that cost two veteran players (Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso) and four additional draft picks, including a future first-rounder. They signed him to a four-year, $128 million extension.
“There was one team really hot after him because of Frank Reich’s connection to Wentz, and that was the Colts,” McManus said. “So I don’t think the Eagles wake up happy to this, but they recognize it was fair market value – all things considered.”
