Hours after an ESPN report was released that Carson Wentz must request a change outside of Philadelphia, coach Doug Pederson responded.
Pederson, shortly after the Eagles ‘defeat in Week 17, said he respects Wentz and thinks they can resurrect the quarterback’s career and the Eagles’ attack together.
“I answered that question a little bit and you know how I feel about Carson Wentz,” said Pederson. “I have the greatest respect for him and I feel that together we can fix these things and get back on track. This is my mindset going into the off season and that is where I am.
“All these other things, I believe, are just what’s out there. I haven’t seen any of that yet. I still have total faith and total trust in Carson Wentz and me to get the job done. ”
A specific part of the ESPN report was that the relationship between Wentz and the Eagles – specifically the relationship between Wentz and Pederson – is fractured beyond repair.
Pederson and Wentz’s relationship has been described as a marriage over the years, and in the past few weeks, it looked like the marriage was destined for divorce.
On Sunday night, Pederson was asked specifically about his relationship with Wentz.
“I don’t understand, again, where these things come from,” said Pederson. “My relationship with Carson has been a good one. It was professional. We communicated in the last month of the season. Listen, I know he’s frustrated. He was the proprietor and I understand that. And that is understandable. I have so much confidence in him and myself that we can work on the things we need to work on and get them done ”.
When asked directly whether he had spoken to Wentz about the report, Pederson said he did not.
If Pederson is indeed going to return in 2021 – and it looks like he will – the eagles need to find out if he can really fix Wentz. Their 12 games together in 2020 will certainly not provide as much confidence as they can. In 12 games this season, Wentz completed just 57.4% of his passes with 16 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, a passer rating of 72.8 and a 3-8-1 record.
Either way, it’s probably time to prepare for what promises to be a crazy off-season. The Eagles have an important decision to make as a defender and the report on Sunday makes it look like Wentz can force the Eagles to hand.
Negotiating Wentz would leave a large sum of money dead by 2021, but would actually give the Eagles a minimal relief from the limit. So if the Eagles really think they’ll be better off without Wentz next season, their contract is negotiable.
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