Philadelphia Eagles expected to trade QB Carson Wentz soon, sources say

The Philadelphia Eagles are expected to trade Carson Wentz over the next few days in what would be the latest blockbuster quarterback deal to turn the NFL upside down, league sources tell ESPN.

The most relevant questions now become where, when and for what. But it could happen as early as this week, according to league sources, even if the Eagles continue to push other teams to happily bring Wentz back to Philadelphia.

The Eagles would, in the words of one well-placed source, seek “a Matthew Stafford package” in exchange for Wentz. The Lions traded Stafford for the Rams last weekend for a third-round pick this year, two future first-round picks, and quarterback Jared Goff, the player selected directly for Wentz as the top two picks in the 2016 NFL draft.

Among the teams that have shown some interest in Wentz are the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts, sources told ESPN, although other teams have also called to gauge the market and see what a package for the Eagles quarterback would look like.

It’s all part of an off-season NFL with a series of quarterback moves, with teams rushing to make sure they don’t get left behind. Once Wentz has traded, sources from the league think it could help determine the asking price for other deals, such as one involving New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold.

But a potential Wentz trade has been going on for over a week now, with the Eagles engaged in a wave of trade talks shortly after Stafford was sent to Los Angeles.

Those talks escalated as the week went on, but the Eagles continue to tell the teams that they have no intention of trading Wentz unless, in their opinion, they receive proper compensation. Discussions so far suggest that, per league sources, they would ensure that 2020 would pick Jalen Hurts ‘second round the Eagles’ starting quarterback for the upcoming season.

While the Eagles don’t feel rushed to trade Wentz, and nothing can be made official until the new league year begins March 17, Wentz owes a $ 10 million roster bonus on the third day of the league year that Philadelphia would have to pay as the former choice from the first round was on the selection. Therefore, a transaction is expected to be agreed long before then.

Wentz’s departure would also leave the Eagles with a dead cap charge of $ 34 million, adding to their challenging cap situation. But Philadelphia knew the challenges that had been waiting for months and has a plan to address them, much like the Rams did with the departure and the dead money on Goff.

New Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, who was hired as Doug Pederson’s replacement, has not publicly committed to Wentz as a starter, as he is fully aware that there is a possibility that the quarterback will not be on the roster in 2021. stand.

Nonetheless, team sources say Sirianni recently had a staff meeting in which many of the offensive coaches expressed the belief that they could help Wentz regain his Pro Bowl form.

The Eagles open to moving Wentz into a trade supports owner Jeffrey Lurie’s statement that Pederson’s resignation was not primarily related to Wentz’s decline in 2020.

It has been whispered over the years that Wentz sometimes struggled with his ability to forge relationships in the locker room, but others believe this could have been a natural byproduct of him and the team failing to live up to the high expectations that followed the 2017 season.

According to many public accounts, Wentz treated himself with class during his time in Philadelphia and has received public support from many of the team leaders over the years, including most recently Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce.

Despite attempts to solicit his response, Wentz was unavailable for comment. The Eagles declined comment.

But now it’s all coming to a head as the Eagles are in trade talks that multiple sources in the league believe will end up as the NFL’s next blockbuster quarterback deal.