Getty Eagles QB Carson Wentz was benched for rookie Jalen Hurts against the Green Bay Packers.
In a weird twist of irony, Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts will be sporting the same uniform number in 2021. The new Indianapolis Colts quarterback has apparently chosen to wear the No 2.
The decision has nothing to do with Hurts who actually wore No. 1 at Oklahoma. Confused yet? Wentz donned the No. 20 in high school, per Indy Star, and the No. 11 he made famous in Philly was already taken by Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Since NFL quarterbacks must stay between 1 and 19, he’s going with No. 2.
Wentz could have lobbied harder for his old No. 11 — the jersey that served him (mostly) well for five seasons in Philly — but Pittman Jr. didn’t want to give it up. And the veteran quarterback — and the new face of the Colts’ franchise — never pressed the issue.
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“He actually texted me about two hours after the news broke, and he just asked me how I felt about it,” Pittman told NFL Network, “and I told him that I was gonna stay, and he said that that was cool and that he would switch numbers, and it was that easy. I mean, he was a chill guy about it, so that was awesome.”
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Eagles Restructure Two More Contracts
The Eagles haven’t signed anybody in free agency — not even a veteran backup for Hurts — yet their manipulation of the salary cap keeps going. On Wednesday, the team was working to restructure the contracts of two more players: Rodney McLeod and Jake Elliott, per ESPN’s Field Yates. No financials were given.
McLeod inked a two-year, $8.65 million last year and his base salary in 2021 has been estimated at $3.75 million. Meanwhile, Elliott signed a five-year, $19.3 million last year and his base salary in 2021 has been estimated at $2.5 million.
The Eagles have now tweaked the contracts (via reports) of nine different players: Jason Kelce, Brandon Graham, Isaac Seumalo, Brandon Brooks, Darius Slay, Javon Hargrave. They also saved money by moving on from receivers Marquise Goodwin and DeSean Jackson.
Eagles Looking at Taking Rookie QB?
The rumors linking the Eagles to selecting a rookie quarterback in the first round won’t go away. They sent two coaches to watch Trey Lance’s pro-day workout while Justin Fields continues to be a name to watch.
Now ESPN’s Adam Schefter has thrown more fuel on the fire after he declared that four quarterbacks would be taken within the first six or seven picks. It doesn’t take a genius to do the math on that. The first two teams on the clock are locks to take quarterbacks: Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets — and then it gets trickier.
.@AdamSchefter says that 4 quarterbacks will be selected within the first 6 or 7 picks of the 2021 Draft.
“There’ll be 4 quarterbacks taken in the first 6 or 7 picks of the Draft. Take that to the bank.”
The Miami Dolphins are likely taking a receiver at three. The Atlanta Falcons may opt to take Matt Ryan’s future replacement at No. 4, with the Cincinnati Bengals looking to upgrade their offensive line at No. 5. That leaves the Eagles to ponder a quarterback at No. 6. Ditto for the Detroit Lions at No. 7.
“That’s something we have to hit on, the sixth pick in the draft, in a huge, huge way,” Eagles GM Howie Roseman said on Jan. 4, “and I think that we have the right people to do that.”
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