After a brutal 2020 campaign, the Philadelphia Eagles could be looking to move off of Carson Wentz in the offseason — especially with QB Jalen Hurts showing signs that he might be ready to take the next step.
If Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz feels like his time in Philadelphia is over, and he wants to head elsewhere, he could help facilitate a trade.
ESPN NFL front office insider and former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum said on the ESPN show Get Up that Wentz could make it easier to get himself traded, but it would mean having to pay back some money to make it happen.
“Right now, if Carson Wentz was traded before he earned a roster bonus, he would count $33.8 million on Philly’s cap next year,” Tannenbaum said. “However, under the rules, if Carson Wentz wrote a check for $20 million before the end of the 2020 league year, the Eagles will get a credit next year, meaning he would only be $13.8 on their cap in 2021, which is a very reasonable number.”
Tannenbaum suggested that Wentz would be able to go to either the Indianapolis Colts or New England Patriots, two teams who would potentially be in the market to look for quarterback help. He could renegotiate a deal that would still pay him close to, if not more than what is in his current contract before being traded.
“The contract to me would be really easy,” Tannenbaum said. “Keep paying Carson Wentz $32 million a year, which is what he was making, and have the Colts pay him a signing bonus of $20 million, so he is now made whole, and he keeps going on this contract,” Tannenbaum said. “If I’m the Colts or the Patriots in that matter, I’m paying roughly $38 million a year, which is 32 million a year for three years plus the 20 million, which is high but still less than (Houston Texans quarterback) Deshaun Watson.”
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In the trade scenario Tannenbaum suggests, the Eagles would receive a second-round pick in the upcoming draft and a conditional second-round pick in 2022 if either the Colts or Patriots make the playoffs in 2021.
“If I’m Philadelphia, I have a very manageable dead money number of $13.8 million,” Tannenbaum said. “I also have the potential of getting two second-round picks for a player that, let’s face it, needs a fresh start, and you still have Jalen Hurts. If I’m the Colts or the Patriots, I now have a young quarterback 27-years-old who has played well, and I’ve given up reasonable draft compensation, and I’m paying him a little bit more than I want. But now I have the player I need for the next three years under contract.”
