3 reasons why the Eagles need to lower their asking price for Carson Wentz
In what figures to be quite an exciting quarterback merry-go-round as we embark on the off-season, the Philadelphia Eagles hold one of the biggest chips in the proceedings in Carson Wentz.
Wentz, who the team drafted second overall in 2016, showed signs of brilliance early on in his career with the team.
But in recent years, injuries and ineffective play have been the overwhelmingly disappointing narrative surrounding him, and reports suggest that Philadelphia will be moving their former franchise quarterback in the very near future.
But the Eagles don’t want to simply give Wentz away—allegedly, they want a compensation package similar to the one the Detroit Lions received for Matthew Stafford.
While it’s understandable why the organization would look to one recently dealt quarterback and use his price as a benchmark for their negotiations, here are three reasons why the Eagles need to lower their asking price for Wentz.
#1 Flip the Lions trade on its head
Philadelphia is fixated on the draft capital Detroit received in the above mentioned deal, but maybe they need to review the other side of the trade in order to adjust their expectations.
It was going to be difficult for the Rams to find a taker for Jared Goff, considering his suspect play down the stretch this season, and his inflated contract.
Goff is going to account for at least a $25 million cap hit in each of the next four seasons, and the Rams are somewhat fortunate the Lions decided to absorb his deal in a rebuild situation.
Wentz’s contract is even more bloated—he’ll account for at least a $31 million cap hit in the next four years.
It’s a little bit unreasonable to expect another team to tackle that contract and part with significant draft capital, even though the Lions just did.
#2 Wentz remaining in Philadelphia would be awkward
Even if the Eagles feel like they’re getting 50 cents on the dollar for a distressed asset, they should think long and hard about taking it.
If Wentz still has something left in the tank, and bounces back to the tune of the MVP season he was putting together before he got hurt in 2017, it seems very unlikely he’ll be able to do that in Philadelphia.
He’s had multiple chances to right the ship, and while his surrounding weapons have not been exemplary, they’ve still been good enough to compete with, especially in the NFC East.
Immediately after Wentz was benched in favor of rookie QB Jalen Hurts, the team started to play better.
Compared to the lethargic performances under Wentz, those games felt markedly more hopeful for Eagles fans, which would make it hard for him to return.
#3 The QB-needy market will never be more robust
While it is still very early in the off-season news cycle, the Eagles could find themselves with a dwindling list of suitors if they continue to pound the table for their initial asking price.
The Rams and Lions could have been fit for a Wentz swap in theory, but now each has made their move in the game of quarterback musical chairs, and won’t be interested in talking to Philadelphia.
It’s no secret that the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears would be interested in upgrading their quarterback room, but if another team beats the Eagles to the punch (like Las Vegas parting ways with Derek Carr), then their leverage will only continue to diminish.
It would behoove them to take a little less than they bargained for, and make the trade soon before their return on investment disappears.
Also Read: Who is Carson Wentz's Wife, Madison Oberg?