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The Philadelphia Eagles have some big decisions to make about quarterback Carson Wentz this offseason, and the options aren't great. However, that doesn't mean there are no options.
The franchise all but passed the torch to Jalen Hurts on Sunday, and the 2020 second-round pick played well in his first career start. Hurts completed 17-of-30 passes for 167 yards and a TD and added 106 yards rushing in Philadelphia's Week 14 win over the New Orleans Saints.
If he continues to play well through the end of this season, there's no doubting whom Eagles fans will want under center in 2021.
But because of Wentz's exorbitant contract, the Eagles are essentially stuck with him — at a cripplingly high cost — for at least two more seasons.
The Eagles signed Wentz, 27, to a four-year, $128 million contract extension in 2019, which doesn't kick in until 2021. Wentz will cost about $35 million in 2021, but releasing him this offseason would incur a dead cap penalty of $59 million. In 2022, Wentz will count for $31 million on the Eagles' cap sheet, and cutting him then would bring a $24.5 million dead cap penalty.
Yeesh.
If the Eagles can find a trade partner for Wentz this offseason, the cap hit will be slightly less damaging. Per Over the Cap, Wentz would count $19.27 million on the cap for Philly in 2021 if he's dealt after June 1, then another $24.5 million in dead money in 2022.
On the bright side, the cap is expected to rise in 2022, and Hurts will be on a second-round rookie contract for the next few years.
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As NBC Sports' Peter King reports, most of the top decision-makers in Philly still believe Wentz will be back with the Eagles in 2020.
If the Eagles do explore dealing him, though, the Colts seem like a smooth landing spot, King surmises. Colts head coach Frank Reich was the offensive coordinator in Philadelphia early in Wentz's career, and the current QB, Philip Rivers, is 39 years old and wrapping up a one-year deal.
However, there could be other teams intrigued at the idea of providing Wentz with a much-needed change of scenery. One anonymous GM told King that he would personally give Wentz a look:
“What’s happened with him concerns me,” the GM told King. “But I’ve seen him play well too many times to think there’s some fatal flaw there. I don’t think the Eagles will move him. I wouldn’t if I were them.”
While King notes that rival GMs can't directly express interest in Wentz for tampering reasons, his sense is that there will be interest in Wentz.
Wentz has looked rattled in the pocket all season – his fifth in Philadelphia. He has tossed 16 touchdowns against 15 interceptions through 12 games in 2020, with a career-low completion percentage (57.4).
