Getty Eagles franchise QB Carson Wentz is out to prove his doubters wrong in his fifth year in the NFL.
Hours after an ESPN report claiming Carson Wentz might demand a trade from the Philadelphia Eagles broke, a new one just as quickly shot it down. Cold. Hard. Facts?
It’s hard to say what is fact and what is fiction anymore in the ongoing Wentz saga. The benched quarterback hasn’t publicly complained about the switch to Jalen Hurts. Then again, Wentz hasn’t given a press conference or been made available to the Philly media by the team since it happened almost three weeks ago.
Maybe this new conflicting report is the truth. According to the usually-reliable Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press, Wentz is fully committed to the Philadelphia and South Jersey areas and has no desire to seek a trade. He didn’t specify if Wentz had a problem continuing on as Hurts’ backup, but it did state clearly that the ESPN report was bogus.
Carson Wentz is invested in Philadelphia/South Jersey communities. It’s not just about him. It’s about family, friends, his AO1 Foundation, his Thy Kingdom Crumb food truck, friendships & relationships. I’m told he doesn’t want out of Philly & he hasn’t told that to anyone.
It should be noted that Maaddi and Wentz appear to have a pretty tight friendship. He often sticks up for the second overall pick in press conferences, plus Wentz wrote the foreword to his popular book, “Birds of Pray.” The two share a special bond over their Faith. So it’s safe to assume Maaddi is telling the truth since there’s a good chance Wentz is his source.
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Doug Pederson Gushes over Hurts
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson started his post-game press conference by telling everyone he didn’t know his starter for Week 16 yet. Maybe in a day or two.
Then he started talking about Hurts and the decision seemed obvious. The second-rounder from Texas, by way of Alabama and Oklahoma, has the “it factor.” It’s undeniable.
“He’s a motivated athlete, motivated quarterback,” Pederson told reporters after the game. “He’s driven, and that’s a good thing because he’s a self-starter, great leadership ability. He plays tough, mentally and physically. You saw today how well he can throw from the pocket and then, obviously, outside the pocket.”
Jalen Hurts has 4TD’s and 0 int’s over his first 6 quarters as a starter.
I love Carson Wentz as much or more than anyone on this app, but It’s hard to believe he’ll ever get his job back.
Of course, the Visor had to throw in a little constructive criticism. He didn’t want Hurts to get a big head.
Pederson said: “I would say that there’s some room to grow, obviously, just learning the details of our game and he can get better there, but gave us an opportunity to win today.”
Kyler Murray Shows Respect
Meanwhile, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray shared a nice moment with Hurts at midfield after the game. The two former Oklahoma stars put on an offensive clinic on Sunday — 434 total yards, 4 TDs for Murray; 401 total yards, 3 TDs for Hurts, with the Eagles and Cardinals combining for 948 yards.
Earlier in the week, Hurts credited Murray for paving the way for him at Oklahoma and letting him sniff that “same air.”
“Kyler is a great player, an OU legend,” Hurts said. “He paved the way for a guy like me to come in there and have an opportunity to put my name in the same air as his.”
It’s a brotherhood.
What a performance by Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts.