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Derik Hamilton / Associated Press
This is gearing up to be a wild NFL offseason – quite possibly the wildest in recent memory.
That’s because 2021 may be the year of the defenders’ carousel.
We’ve already seen big business in the position, with the Detroit Lions sending Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for the first two rounds (one in 2022 and 2023), a third in 2021 and Jared Goff.
And that may just be the beginning.
As ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter reported, the Philadelphia Eagles are approaching the negotiation of disgruntled quarterback Carson Wentz. Choice number 2 in the 2016 draft (behind Goff) is coming from a low of 2020, which saw him tie for the NFL leadership in interceptions and stay on the bench in favor of Jalen Hurts. But he is also a 28-year-old defender who showed elite skill, playing a key role in Philly’s Super Bowl in 2017.
With the Eagles reportedly looking for a “Stafford package” from a trading partner and Wentz carrying a 2021 ceiling of almost $ 35 million, massive investment will be needed to make this business work.
But, as we have just seen with Stafford, there is no shortage of teams looking to play Let’s make a Deal.
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Jack Dempsey / Associated Press
Wentz to the Las Vegas Raiders is admittedly a long shot, for a very robust reason: the $ 22.1 million hit that incumbent caller Derek Carr carries for 2021.
But, given that the quarterback market is already wild, let’s put the carousel on turbo.
By most statistical standards, Carr had a solid 2020 score – 4,103 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, nine choices and a passer rating (101.4) that was in the top 10.
And yet, as has apparently happened since Jon Gruden took over as coach of the Raiders in 2018, commercial rumors continue to circulate in Carr – partly because he has 16 games under 0.500 as the team’s starter.
Remember, we are not talking about an exchange here. The Eagles probably have little interest in hiring a slightly older quarterback than Wentz on a slightly lower salary. But if the Raiders take the 29-year-old Carr move seriously, then there will be suitors – including all the other teams listed in this article.
Both Gruden and Raiders general manager Mike Mayock have good things to say about Wentz. In 2017, Gruden told a group of high school football players that Wentz is the defender they should imitate. Mayock ranked Wentz as the No. 1 prospect in the 2016 class.
It would be difficult to sell Carr at retail after acquiring Wentz. But it would (in theory) be possible for Las Vegas to negotiate with Carr to recover some of the choices spent in Wentz.
Hey. Each race needs an underdog.
Commercial Package: Selection of Round 1 of 2021 (No. 17 overall), Selection of Round 4 of 2021, Selection of Round 2 of 2022
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Brian Westerholt / Associated Press
Less than a year has passed since the Carolina Panthers handed Teddy Bridgewater a $ 63 million three-year contract.
But after Bridgewater’s pedestrian season (3,733 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions), the Panthers were one of the teams that allegedly raced at Stafford.
If Carolina is willing to put her choice of the top 10 on the table for Wentz as well, Panthers should be included in this conversation.
Okay, Wentz doesn’t have Stafford’s resume. His 2020 was ugly. But don’t forget that when Wentz tore his ACL in 2017, he was the favorite to be named NFL MVP. That season, he had almost 3,300 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and only seven choices in 13 games. His passer rating was 101.9.
Wentz was also not given cat food the following season. In 11 games, he averaged nearly 280 passing yards per competition, posted a 21 to 7 touchdown rate for interception and had a passer rating of 102.2 in his career.
Wentz’s 2019 campaign was not as good as in the previous two years, but his numbers that season were not dire. From a statistical perspective, he showed more reason to think that last year was an exception.
It also offers a higher ceiling than Bridgewater and will not be 29 years old before the calendar changes to 2022.
If the Panthers were willing to give eighth place to get Stafford, it is no exaggeration to imagine the franchise doing the same for Wentz.
And that early choice in April is likely to catch the eye of general manager Howie Roseman.
Commercial Package: Selection of Round 1 of 2021 (No. 8 overall), Selection of Round 3 of 2021, Selection of Round 4 of 2022
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Justin Edmonds / Associated Press
It’s not exactly breaking news that the Denver Broncos need help as a defender.
After showing promise over a 4-1 period at the end of his 2019 debut year, Drew Lock has regressed badly in his second season. He did not complete 60 percent of his passes, threw 15 interceptions in the NFL (he tied, coincidentally, with Wentz) and barely reached 75 passers.
It is the continuation of a theme that has existed since Peyton Manning’s retirement in 2015.
Even out of the worst season of his career, Wentz presents team president John Elway, new general manager George Paton and the Broncos with an opportunity to update as a defender. And given that Denver allegedly offered Detroit a choice in the top 10 in 2020 and Lock for Stafford, it’s clear that the team wants one.
Why Lions accepted the Rams’ offer is instead among the heads of Easter Island among the great mysteries of life.
The question now is whether the team is willing to offer the same package to Wentz – and whether that would be enough for the Eagles.
The Broncos are unlikely to sweeten the pot significantly more than for Wentz, so if the Eagles take their demands seriously, that switch is not particularly likely.
But a deal involving Lock and the ninth choice would give Philly two selections in the top 10 and some cheap insurance behind sophomore Jalen Hurts.
It is an offer that deserves real consideration from both sides.
Commercial Package: 2021 Round 1 Pick (No. 9 overall), 2021 Round 3 Pick, QB Drew Lock
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Adrian Kraus / Associated Press
When I wrote a similar column about Stafford two weeks ago, I expected it to land in Indianapolis.
Of course, I didn’t think Detroit would get two first-round players for Stafford – or that the Rams would convince another team to face the abomination that is Goff’s contract.
The Colts check all boxes of the type of team that would make a great move as a defender. Indy is coming out of a playoff after an 11-5 campaign. The team’s containment window is ostensibly open – be it weapons of skill, offensive line or defense, Indy doesn’t have a glaring weakness.
Well, except for the huge hole in the quarterback left by Philip Rivers’ retirement. Wentz would fill that gap very well, and given the success he had when Colts coach Frank Reich was the offensive coordinator in Philadelphia, there is probably no team in the league with more confidence to turn the tables on Wentz.
The problem comes down to compensation.
Zak Keefer’s Indianapolis Star he doesn’t see the Colts paying dearly for a feeling of despair. “We know Colts is not going to get into a bidding war,” Keefer tweeted, “and they are not just going to make a move to make a move. The feeling I had this morning that the team is not going to do something out of character just to solve the QB problem.”
Assuming Keefer is right, the Colts will not hand over several first-round players to the Eagles to a quarterback with a history of injuries that was terrible in 2020.
However, unless there is a team (like the club in the next entry) that will overpay for Wentz, the Colts must remain in the middle of the Wentz race.
Changing it out of NFC would also be a nice bonus for Roseman.
Commercial Package: Selection of Round 1 of 2021 (No. 21 overall), Selection of Round 3 of 2021, Selection of Round 2 of 2022
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Kamil Krzaczynski / Associated Press
According to Mortensen and Schefter, the Eagles are looking for a major achievement in a Wentz deal – as in several early rounds.
It is understandable for a number of reasons – the least important of which is that the nearly $ 34 million deadline reached for the Wentz deal will virtually wipe out the Eagles’ wage resources in 2021.
This season will be a wash. There is no getting around it.
And if Philly is really determined to get a couple of choices in Round 1 for Wentz, then there is one team above all others that can pull the trigger.
The Chicago Bears have been a playoff cast in two of the past three years, but they are not a threat to the elite NFC franchises. The reason for this is not difficult to identify – whether it was Nick Foles or Mitchell Trubisky, the Bears defender was …
Well, let’s put it this way: 2020 Wentz wouldn’t be any worse. 2017 Wentz was to have streets named after him in Windy City.
Coach Matt Nagy is reportedly an offensive genius and quarterback guru. The bears’ GM Ryan Pace showed a willingness to make a big deal, negotiating several No.1s in 2018 to get Khalil Mack.
If the Bears do not show a marked improvement next season, none of them will be hired much longer.
There are also reports that Bellows could be included in an exchange package for 670 The Score’s Joe Ostrowski (h / t Bleeding Green Nation), sending him back to the team he led to victory in the Super Bowl LII.
That’s a good thing, because if Wentz showed up in Windy City and Foles was there, it could be, you know, weird.
The wisdom of mortgaging Wentz’s future is debatable. But if a team is going to do that, the money is in Da Bears.
And if negotiating Wentz within the NFC is what it takes to get first-round players, then that’s what Roseman will do.
Commercial Package: Selection of round 1 of 2021 (No. 20 overall), Selection of round 1 of 2022, Selection of round 3 of 2022, QB Nick Foles
Contract information and salary limit via Spotrac, unless otherwise specified.