Getty Carson Wentz and Nick Foles remain good friends and emnbraced Thursday at midfield.
The soft whispers are turning into strong winds regarding Carson Wentz. The one-time franchise quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles is likely to be traded in the “coming days,” per ESPN.
Things have escalated very quickly in the last 24 hours as several well-sourced reports have indicated a trade is imminent. The Eagles will likely wait until after the Super Bowl so as not to disrupt the NFL’s marquee event. The top two candidates to land Wentz’s services remain the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts.
The compensation for the 2016 second overall pick has been the biggest talking point. The Eagles want at least two first-round draft picks, something that might limit the amount of suitors in a possible trade scenario.
Eagles are expected to trade Carson Wentz in the coming days in what would be the latest blockbuster QB deal to rock the NFL, sources tell @mortreport and me. The most pertinent questions now become where, when and for what. But it could happen as early as this week.
The Eagles are said to be looking for, in the words of one well-placed source, “a Matthew Stafford package” in return for Wentz. The Lions traded Stafford to the Rams last weekend for a third-round pick this year, two future first-round picks and quarterback Jared Goff, the player selected directly in front of Wentz as the top two picks in the 2016 NFL draft.
A team acquiring Carson Wentz will take on 4 years and $98.4M left on his contract ($24.7M per year).
His cap hits would be:
2021: $25.4M
2022: $22M
2023: $25M
2024: $26M
Philly would eat a $33.8M dead cap hit in 2021, the largest in NFL history.
According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter, the Eagles are intent on making a trade and plan on proceeding with Jalen Hurts as the starting quarterback. It’s come to a breaking point in Philly despite recent comments from new head coach Nick Sirianni.
“We have two quarterbacks in Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts that are top-notch,” Sirianni told reporters on Jan. 29. “They’re top-notch quarterbacks. A lot of teams don’t have any. Just really excited to work with both of them.”
We’ll see what happens w/ Carson Wentz, but we know Colts won’t get into a bidding war, and they won’t just make a move to make a move. Sense I got this morning was team is not gonna do something out of character just to solve the QB issue. No “Wentz or bust” mindset.
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Would Bears Throw Nick Foles Into the Deal?
There is speculation growing that the Chicago Bears might go “all-in” on an offer for Wentz. They might out-bid themselves and Indianapolis in a desperate heave to solve their decades-long quarterback problem. Fine.
But, according to Windy City Gridiron, the Bears might throw former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles into the mix. Wentz had to sit and watch Foles lead the Eagles to a championship in 2017 and the head-strong quarterback would be unwilling to revisit that weird dynamic. There’s no hard feelings between the two men, just an overriding sense of awkwardness.
UPDATE: Natalie Egenolf of 97.5 The Fanatic first reported that Foles was part of would-be trade to the Bears. Sources are telling her it would be the Super Bowl MVP, plus running back Tarik Cohen and a first-round pick.
Eagles are asking for two 1s for Carson Wentz, which has led to some dial tones, including from one team previously perceived to be a favored landing spot.
While Doug Pederson is no longer in Philly — and remains unemployed — it’s interesting to look back at his comments from late September about coaching Foles and Wentz.
“Well, I think you’re talking about two different guys, obviously, two different personalities,” Pederson said on Sept. 24. “Two guys that approach the game a little bit differently. You tailor it to their strengths and that was one of the things that I had to do with Nick when he took over a few years ago, is find out what he liked.”
#Bears GM Ryan Pace and HC Matt Nagy were provided one more year by ownership to prove themselves. It would take a lot of nerve to bet your last chance Carson Wentz coming off his 2020 season.
Is Foles headed back to Philly for a reunion? There’s a possibility the Bears include him as part of their offer for Wentz, giving the Eagles a proven and reliable backup behind Hurts. It could be poetic justice, or a beautiful nightmare.
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