Almost everyone who is spreading rumors about Carson Wentz’s situation agrees on some fundamental things: (1) the Bears and Colts are involved, but the market beyond these two is obscure at best (if any); and (2) Wentz is definitely going to be traded, maybe today or tomorrow. So, yes, we are working as firmly as possible.
Some of the latest …
• Inside Birds’ Adam Caplan and Geoff Mosher just dug in all things Wentz in their last, including confirmation that the Eagles have hoped to get top two for Wentz, like Matthew Stafford’s switch. This has always been absolutely crazy for reasons we explained earlier, but notably, Caplan says the Bears are not interested in giving up the first two for Wentz (I say notably because this is a surprise, but because it is coming from Philadelphia): “As I understand it, the Bears are not interested in giving up two choices in the first round. They gave up two choices in the first round [in 2018] to get Khalil Mack and a few more. They don’t want to do that. I kind of laughed at the people who wanted to eat the [Matthew] Stafford trade. Guys, Matthew Stafford is a proven NFL quarterback who was never put on the bench. Carson Wentz may be a very talented quarterback, but he has been banned. The Bears want the guy, this is based on several sources. They want the guy, but I can’t see [Bears GM] Ryan Pace collapsing here. “
• Mosher added that everyone is hearing about the Bears and Colts, but you never know when there are other teams waiting behind the scenes: “There are certain teams that lie to see how the market is doing and listen to the reports and try to get an idea of what it is, and then, all of a sudden, they like to get in the end. I would not be surprised if teams that are normally aggressive infiltrate there. Patriots tend to be like that, Raiders can be like that sometimes. You never know who will be most desperate in the end and sweeten the pot at the last minute. “
• Speaking of which, you should remember that Mike Kaye indicated that at least one other mysterious team was involved, and now Mike Garafolo says that too:
Carson Wentz business conversation @MikeGarafolo in @nflnetwork:
“I was told that there are more teams involved and I will also say that the Bears and Colts have other QBs that they are looking at.” pic.twitter.com/pOQWJUQPn5
– Joe Ostrowski (@ JoeO670) February 8, 2021
• Is this just the posture of an Eagles team desperate to get a decent final offer from the Bears or Colts for a guy everyone knows they need to trade? And is this accountant just a Bears and Colts stance to tell the Eagles that they have other options? Things look a little “hotter” than Garafolo does, as he is the first guy recently to suggest an exchange will not necessarily happen in the next two days.
• Meanwhile, a local opinion from Brad Biggs: “There are rumors that the Bears were in the mix to acquire Wentz through Philadelphia Eagles trade, but the buzz has been so high in coaching and front office circles that it is the movement less stealthy GM Ryan Pace has ever done or his Philadelphia counterpart, Howie Roseman, is desperately trying to create more interest. Bears are an easy target on the high-stakes quarterback carousel because they are desperate. The Indianapolis Colts have also been linked to Wentz and sources say the Eagles have been working overtime to involve other teams. ”
• Biggs is not exactly saying this, but he is implying: perhaps the Bears’ interest and aggressiveness here have been exaggerated? Note that almost everything is coming from Philadelphia and the national media, which means that the leaks are not coming from Halas Hall.
• Reflections on how an agreement involving Wentz could expand on the Philadelphia side:
Adding to that: based on my conversations about the Wentz market, I would not be surprised if a potential deal involved several non-Wentz players as well. https://t.co/cRewSVLj9r
– Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) February 8, 2021
Ertz’s is almost too obvious, but we know that Philly could have transferred him on time if it weren’t for an injury
He wants a new deal and doesn’t look like he’s going to get it from the Eagles
In addition, the famous soccer player Julie Ertz plays for the NWSL Chicago Red Stars
– Brad Spielberger (@PFF_Brad) February 8, 2021
• There are significant financial considerations when you are talking about a team taking on additional contract (s) in addition to Wentz’s – and what that might mean for what is happening in the other direction – but it is not difficult to see a version of the trade this does More sense than just Wentz for the 20th choice or something. You have the rumor that Foles and Cohen were included, I saw rumors of the Eagles including a smaller choice on their side. And if you start talking about additional players, finding the right “fair” balance in a deal can be a little easier.
• Some good background reading on Wentz’s regression (? Decline? Flukey fights?) Over the past two years in Philadelphia, which provide insight into the guy the Bears might end up getting. Based on this article, it appears that the situation has soured and deteriorated to the point that it is not surprising that Wentz fought in 2020 … but it also raises serious concerns about whether he is primarily the source of that bitterness and how it would be elsewhere.