The Philadelphia Eagles traded disgruntled quarterback Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts earlier this week in exchange for a conditional 2022 second-round pick and a 2022 third-round pick.
The return is not what the Eagles expected to get for Wentz. Philly reportedly wanted a first-round pick, but no quarterback-needy team was willing to part ways with a first-rounder to land a struggling signal-caller.
According to ESPN’s Tim McManus, the Eagles aren’t happy about the Wentz trade but recognize it was fair market value. McManus said Friday on ESPN’s “Get Up!” (via 247Sports):
“Not thrilled. They recognize the return they got vs. 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 — he’s due to make 47 million over the next two seasons, and he’s got some questions about coachability that he needs to answer. That was known throughout the league. The market was pretty warm. There was one team really hot after him because of Frank Reich’s connection to Wentz, and that was the Colts. So I don’t think the Eagles wake up happy to this, but they recognize it was fair market value, all things considered.”
Wentz put together several solid seasons before his disastrous 2020 campaign. His best season came in 2017 when he threw for 3,296 yards and 33 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 13 games. The Eagles rewarded him with a four-year, $128 million contract in 2019, and since that point, he hasn’t been the same.
Wentz reportedly had an awful relationship with former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, which could have contributed to his struggles. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Pederson and Wentz reportedly didn’t talk for “weeks on end” during the 2020 season.
In Indianapolis, where he’ll reunite with former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, Wentz will get a fresh start. Wentz and Reich had a solid relationship, so it’s hard to imagine the Colts having the same issues with the 28-year-old.
