The Philadelphia Eagles’ front office headed by general manager Howie Roseman was already on thin ice considering just how poorly it maintained a roster that won a Super Bowl title three years ago.
Now he’ll have to deal with the fallout of being fleeced by the Indianapolis Colts in the trade that officially ended Carson Wentz’s time in Philadelphia.
It’s incredible just how far the mighty have fallen. Wentz was supposed to be THE guy in Philadelphia for years to come, coming into 2020 with a clean bill of health that had been oh so elusive — thus cutting an MVP campaign short in 2017, limiting 2018 to 11 games, and forcing him out of the Wild Card Game against the Seattle Seahawks last winter.
Instead, Wentz nosedived in 2020 and with it, exposed a primadonna side not privy to Philadelphia sports fans.
He posted a career-worst 57.4% completion percentage, experienced a 20-point drop in his passer rating, and threw 15 interceptions in just 12 games before he was benched in Week 13 for rookie passer Jalen Hurts.
Wentz’s relationship with former head coach Doug Pederson grew toxic as reports emerged that the two didn’t talk for weeks. It led to Wentz threatening a trade demand before the Eagles decided to part ways with the head coach.
At the time, it looked as though owner Jeffrey Lurie and Roseman were prioritizing Wentz over Pederson — an understandable route when thinking the 28-year-old was still going to be the man under center to turn things around.
But Roseman and the Eagles made the biggest mistake you could possibly make when trading a star — albeit a struggling one: They let everyone know that he was on the market and up for grabs.
Interested parties were understandably scarce considering Wentz’s numbers, drama, and the state of the quarterback market right now around the NFL. Deshaun Watson could very well be available while the draft has five quarterbacks that could be taken within the first 40 picks: Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, Trey Lance, and Mac Jones.
Luckily for them, former offensive coordinator now Colts head coach Frank Reich was willing to take Wentz off the Eagles’ hands. After all, he was the driving force that had Wentz in the thick of the 2017 NFL MVP conversations before injuries struck.
The Colts turned out to be the only team that even made an offer to Philadelphia, sending a third-round pick in 2021 and a conditional second-round pick in 2022 that could become a first-rounder based on Wentz’s playing time.
Not nearly the kind of return the Eagles had anticipated earlier this offseason. Especially after the Detroit Lions came away with two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford.
Add on top of that everything that was invested in Wentz over the last five years and this deal is even worse for the Eagles. They signed him to a four-year, $128 million extension that was just starting, they’re taking on a $33.8 million dead cap charge, they moved on from Super Bowl-winning quarterback Nick Foles to keep Wentz content, they waited through the litany of injuries and ensuing rehabs.
“They’re not thrilled,” ESPN’s Tim McManus said on ‘Get Up!’. “They recognize the return they got versus what they invested does not match up. The reality is they were selling at a low point.
“Carson Wentz was coming off one of the worst years of his career. One of the worst years of any quarterback in the NFL last year.”
Now comes the search for a new franchise quarterback — whether that be Hurts or another young passer they can take with the No. 6 pick of the 2021 NFL Draft — along with rebuilding a team that went 4-11-1 and finished at the bottom fo the worst division in all of football.
