THE Carson Wentz The Philadelphia era came to an end today, with the choice of the former runner-up for the Colts. However, just because Wentz was sent to the suitcases, that doesn’t necessarily mean Jalen hurts will slide to the starting point. Sources told Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN that the Eagles I intend to bring “competition” to the quarterback, and “the initial job should not automatically go to the Hurts”.
The Eagles made a significant commitment to the Hurts when they selected him in the second round of last year’s draft, and the former Alabama / Oklahoma highlight showed flashes of potential during the 2020 season. Hurts finally started four of his 15 appearances this season last, completing 52 percent of his passes for 1,061 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. He added another 354 run yards and three touchdowns in 63 runs.
It’s pretty clear that Hurts is the apparent heir in the quarterback’s place, so this report is probably more lip service … teams don’t want their young players to rest on their laurels. Instead, the team is probably looking for a veteran free agent who will provide some extra motivation for the young caller.
Let’s check out some more notes centered on Wentz:
- THE Colts ended up sending Philly a third round choice in 2021 and a 2022 conditional choice in the second round. According to The Athletic’s Zak Keefer, Indy’s offer “hasn’t changed much in 10 days of negotiations.” The Colts front line ended up believing that the compensation was “fair” and they never intended to “meet the Eagles’ initial demands for multiple choices in the first round.” By Keefer, the Colts understood that Wentz was not their only option to replace Philip Rivers, and the front line was considering other options while negotiating with Philadelphia.
- We learned earlier today that the Bears had asked about Wentz, but they never made a definitive offer. The same goes for Patriots. According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, New England called the Eagles about the quarterback, but lost interest when they heard about the asking price. As the reporter notes, the Patriots are unlikely to “overpay for a veteran if it’s not a perfect fit,” especially at this point in the off-season.
- How did it get to this point between Wentz and the Eagles? ESPN’s Tim McManus writes that Hurts ‘writing may have marked the “beginning of the end”, but many additional factors came into play during the 2020 season. As the Eagles’ losses and injuries continued to increase, the ( ex) head coach Doug Pederson it took Wentz out of “much of his control over crime”. As a result, Wentz vicariously lost faith in his trainer and the system.
- Wentz didn’t just lose his faith in Pederson. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Wentz “lost faith in [general manager Howie Roseman‘s] decision making. Wentz had a similar feeling towards the owner JEffrey Lurie, who supported his GM and the front office’s decision to select Hurts in the second round.