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Derik Hamilton / Associated Press
This is about to become a wild NFL off-season – arguably the wildest in recent memory.
That’s because 2021 could be the year of the quarterback carousel.
We’ve already seen a huge deal on the position, with the Detroit Lions sending Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for two first rounders (one each in 2022 and 2023), a third in 2021 and Jared Goff.
And that could be just the beginning.
As ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter reported, the Philadelphia Eagles are getting closer to trading disaffected quarterback Carson Wentz. The No. 2 pick in the 2016 draft (behind Goff) comes from a down 2020 in which he took the NFL’s lead on interceptions and was placed in Jalen Hurts’ favor. But he’s also a 28-year-old quarterback who has shown elite skills and played a key role in Philly’s Super Bowl run in 2017.
With the Eagles reportedly seeking a “Stafford package” from a trading partner and Wentz with a maximum hit of nearly $ 35 million in 2021, it will take a huge investment to make this trade work.
But as we just saw with Stafford, there is no shortage of teams willing to play Let’s make a deal.
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Jack Dempsey / Associated Press
Wentz to the Las Vegas Raiders is admittedly a long shot, for a rather robust reason: the $ 22.1 million limit that seated signal caller Derek Carr carries for 2021.
But since the quarterback market is already wild, let’s kick the carousel into turbo.
By most statistical measures, Carr had a solid 2020-4,103 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, nine tips, and a passer-by rating (101.4) that finished in the top 10.
And yet, as they have seemingly done since when Jon Gruden took over as head coach of the Raiders in 2018, trade rumors continue to circulate around Carr, in part because he is 16 games under .500 as the team’s starter.
Mind you, we’re not talking about trade here. The Eagles probably have little interest in adding a slightly older quarterback than Wentz with a slightly lower salary. But if the Raiders are serious about moving 29-year-old Carr, there will be suitors – including every other team mentioned in this article.
Both Gruden and Raiders General Manager Mike Mayock have good things to say about Wentz. In 2017, Gruden told a group of high school soccer players that Wentz is the quarterback they should emulate. Mayock ranked Wentz as the # 1 QB prospect in the 2016 class.
It would be difficult to sell Carr in retail after the Wentz acquisition. But it would (in theory) be possible for Las Vegas to trade Carr in order to recoup some of the choices spent on Wentz.
Hello. Every race needs a dark horse.
Trade Package: 2021 Round 1 Pick (No. 17 in total), 2021 Round 4 Pick, 2022 Round 2 Pick
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Brian Westerholt / Associated Press
It has been less than a year since the Carolina Panthers handed Teddy Bridgewater a three-year $ 63 million contract.
But after Bridgewater’s pedestrian season (3,733 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions), the Panthers were among the teams to reportedly make a run on Stafford.
If Carolina is willing to put his top 10 pick on the table for Wentz too, then the Panthers should be involved in this conversation.
Admittedly, Wentz does not have a Stafford resume. His 2020 was ugly. But don’t forget, when Wentz ripped his ACL in 2017, he was the front runner to be named NFL MVP. That season, he had nearly 3,300 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and only seven tips over 13 games. His passer rating was 101.9.
Wentz wasn’t cat food the following season either. In 11 games, he averaged nearly 280 yards per game, posted a 21-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and had a career-best passer rating of 102.2.
Wentz’s campaign in 2019 wasn’t as good as the two years before, but his numbers that season were not bad. Statistically, he showed more reason last year to think it was an exception.
It also offers a higher ceiling than Bridgewater and won’t turn 29 until the calendar turns to 2022.
If the Panthers wanted to give No. 8 to get Stafford, it’s not hard to imagine the franchise doing the same for Wentz.
And that early choice in April should catch the attention of general manager Howie Roseman.
Trade Package: 2021 Round 1 Pick (No. 8 in total), 2021 Round 3 Pick, 2022 Round 4 Pick
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Justin Edmonds / Associated Press
It’s not exactly the latest news that the Denver Broncos need help with the quarterback.
After showing a lot of promise on a 4-1 stretch at the end of his rookie year in 2019, Drew Lock fell badly in his second season. He failed to complete 60 percent of his passes, threw an NFL-high 15 interceptions (coincidentally level with Wentz), and barely posted a passer rating of 75.
It is the continuation of a theme that has been around since Peyton Manning’s retirement in 2015.
Even after the worst season of his career, Wentz is offering team chairman John Elway, new general manager George Paton and the Broncos the opportunity to upgrade as quarterbacks. And since Denver reportedly offered Detroit a top-10 pick in 2020 and Lock for Stafford, it’s clear the team wants one.
Why the lions accepted the offer of the rams, there with those heads on Easter Island is one of the great mysteries of life.
The question now is whether the team is willing to offer that same package for Wentz – and whether it would be enough for the Eagles.
The Broncos probably aren’t going to sweeten the pot significantly more than Wentz’s, so if the Eagles take their demands seriously, this trade isn’t very likely.
But a deal with Lock and ninth pick would get Philly two selections in the top 10 and cheap insurance behind sophomore pro Jalen Hurts.
It’s an offer worthwhile from both sides.
Trade Package: 2021 Round 1 Pick (# 9 Overall), 2021 Round 3 Pick, QB Drew Lock
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Adrian Kraus / Associated Press
When I wrote a similar column about Stafford two weeks ago, I expected him to land in Indianapolis.
Of course, I didn’t think Detroit could get two first-rounders for Stafford – or that the Rams would convince another team to take on the horror that is Goff’s contract.
The Colts check all the boxes of the type of team that would take a big step with the quarterback. Indy comes off a playoff run after an 11-5 campaign. The team’s point of contention is seemingly open – whether it’s skill position weapons, line of attack, or defense, Indy has no glaring weakness.
Except for the huge hole left by the quarterback by Philip Rivers’s retirement. Wentz would fill that gap nicely, and given the success he enjoyed when Colts head coach Frank Reich was the offensive coordinator in Philadelphia, there is probably no team in the league more confident that it can change Wentz.
The problem comes down to compensation.
Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star doesn’t see the Colts paying too much out of a sense of despair. “We know Colts will not get into a bidding war,” Keefer tweeted, “and they won’t just make a move to make a move. The feeling I had this morning was that the team isn’t going to do anything strange to fix the QB problem.”
Assuming Keefer is right, the Colts won’t hand over multiple first-rounders to the Eagles for a quarterback with an injury history that was mostly horrible in 2020.
However, unless there is a team (like the club in the next entry) paying too much for Wentz, then the Colts must stay in the middle of the Wentz race.
It would also be a nice bonus for Roseman to trade him out of the NFC.
Trade Package: 2021 Round 1 Pick (# 21 Overall), 2021 Round 3 Pick, 2022 Round 2 Pick
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Kamil Krzaczynski / Associated Press
According to Mortensen and Schefter, the Eagles are looking for a big appetite in a Wentz trade – like in multiple first rounders.
It’s understandable for several reasons – not the least of which is that the nearly $ 34 million dead-cap hit for trading Wentz will all but drain the Eagles’ salary sources in 2021.
This season will be a wash. There is no way around it.
And if Philly is really determined to get a few round 1 picks for Wentz, then there’s one team above all the others pulling that trigger.
The Chicago Bears have been a playoff squad for two of the past three years, but they pose no threat to the elite NFC franchises. The reason for that isn’t hard to pin down – whether it’s Nick Foles or Mitchell Trubisky, the quarterback game for the Bears …
Let’s put it this way: 2020 Wentz wouldn’t be worse. In 2017, Wentz would have streets named after him in the Windy City.
Head coach Matt Nagy is reportedly an offensive pundit and quarterback guru. Bears GM Ryan Pace has shown a willingness to make a big deal by trading multiple No. 1s in 2018 to acquire edge-rusher Khalil Mack.
If the Bears don’t show a marked improvement next season, they probably won’t be deployed much longer.
There are also reports that Foles could be included in a trading package, per 670 Joe Ostrowski of The Score (h / t Bleeding Green Nation), sending him back to the team he led to a Super Bowl LII victory.
That’s good because if Wentz were to show up at the Windy City and Foles was there, it could be, you know, awkward.
The wisdom of mortgaging the future for Wentz is debatable. But if a team is going to do that, the smart money will go to Da Bears.
And if trading Wentz within the NFC is what it takes to get those first rounds, that’s what Roseman will do.
Trade Package: 2021 Round 1 Pick (# 20 total), 2022 Round 1 Pick, 2022 Round 3 Pick, QB Nick Foles
Contract and salary limit information via Spotrac, unless stated otherwise.