Carson Wentz is on the verge of becoming the key piece to the next NFL blockbuster trade.
The Eagles are expected to trade their disgruntled quarterback in the coming days, according to a report from ESPN, citing league sources.
One week after Matthew Stafford was dealt from the Lions to the Rams in exchange for Jared Goff and draft picks, a resolution to the Wentz predicament appears near. The Eagles benched Wentz for rookie Jalen Hurts last season, but since then have fired coach Doug Pederson.
Pederson, who led Philadelphia to the win in Super Bowl LII, was replaced with Nick Sirianni, who came from the Colts and the coaching tree of Wentz’s trusted mentor, former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich. If that was a hire made to reconcile things with Wentz, it seems to have failed.
Wentz hasn’t answered questions since his benching, and revealed no reaction to hiring of Sirianni.
The Eagles are looking for a “Matthew Stafford package” in return for Wentz, per ESPN. Trading Stafford fetched the Lions two first-round picks and a third-round pick in addition to Goff.
Wentz, 28, is younger than Stafford (who will turn 33 on Sunday), but comes with a bloated four-year, $128 million contract. The Eagles already have paid the $16 million signing bonus.
Where could Wentz be headed?
The most logical spot is a reunion with Reich in Indianapolis. The Colts lost their last two quarterbacks to retirement: Andrew Luck in 2018 and Philip Rivers last month.
The Bears, Panthers and Broncos were in the mix for Stafford and could turn next to Wentz. Washington also was in the Stafford sweepstakes, but it’s unlikely the Eagles would deal Wentz within the NFC East despite a similar deal in 2010 when Donovan McNabb went from Philadelphia to Washington.
Could the Jets be involved? General manager Joe Douglas worked under Eagles general manager Howie Douglas during Wentz’s best season in 2017, helping Philadelphia to the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
But Wentz suffered a season-ending injury in Week 14, Nick Foles won the Super Bowl as a replacement and it has been mostly downhill since then for the often-injured Wentz.
The Eagles hold the No. 6 pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, so they are not forced to go with Hurts as their starter They are, however, in salary-cap hell, projected to be $41 million over the limit in 2021, according to OverTheCap.com.
A flurry of quarterback movement is expected this offseason — and the grand prize is Deshaun Watson, who has asked the Texans to trade him. A Wentz deal could help set the market.