Those who have experience in consuming sports coverage should know that it is not uncommon for unpleasant leaks to arise after a person leaves a team. It should not be surprising, then, to see that this is the case after the Carson Wentz trade.
Of course, there have been anonymous reviews of Wentz since November 2018. And more in January 2019. And more in October 2019. And more in September 2020. And more in January 2021. And more in February 2021.
The latest news about Wentz comes from Jason La Canfora (emphasis added):
In Philadelphia, it got personal (because of course it did) between Wentz and coach Doug Pederson. Wentz, according to team and league sources, was falling out of favor with the locker room too, unable to connect with a number of players, acting more in self-interest than would be expected from a defender and franchise leader. Loss and adversity brought the worst of him, he did not handle losing his place to Jalen Hurts with confidence and, as reported here just days after he lost his job, a plethora of general managers and NFL executives already predicted the rapid exodus of Wentz from Philadelphia after the season, even with the Eagles officials claiming there was nothing to see here and Wentz remains an important part of the organization.
Divorce was approaching, the league knew it, and would always limit the field of suitors and the degree of compensation to a player with an increasing history of injuries, a propensity for upsets and now years away from the days of being mentioned as a candidate the MVP. Things really collapsed when sources said Wentz missed outgoing meetings with Pederson. He did everything possible – passive-aggressive and not – to make it clear that he didn’t want to be a part of everything that was happening in Philadelphia, and even after Pederson was fired a week after the season, things between the defender and the organization continued to rot.
Some pointed to Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox defending Wentz after his bench to minimize the notion that he lost the support of his teammates. But a locker room consists of many players, and what they say in public and in private does not always line up.
Earlier this month, PhillyVoice’s Joe Santoliquito cited a source who questioned Wentz’s support.
“Is there anyone here who will believe in [Wentz]? I can’t speak for everyone, but I have a good feeling that there are a lot of guys who don’t speak now, ”said a source within the organization, who wished to remain anonymous, because“ if he gets a technical NFL fired, they will have no problem cut anyone’s ass. “
All a respected veteran would say is that “there is a problem here”.
The players were “pissed” because Wentz was supposed to be planning a change and wants to leave if he is not the starting defender, the sources said. They interpreted it as if Wentz was giving up on them. Some thought it was Wentz giving up on himself, fleeing an open competition for the title role with newcomer Jalen Hurts.
Wentz never refuted the reports. In fact, he hasn’t made a peep in over eight weeks – and counting.
Everyone was looking at each other thinking, does he want to leave? How should you follow such a leader? “said a source in the reports suggesting that Wentz wanted to leave, which started as early as December 20.” When he resolves this, do you really think anyone will believe him? “
This is not to say that the Wentz locker room was the only reason the Eagles changed it. But it certainly could have been factored into the equation. And, as Santoliquito mentioned to me in an upcoming BGN Radio podcast episode, Wentz will have to prove himself to his new teammates in Indy.
On the other hand, what La Canfora had to say about Wentz’s relationship with Doug Pederson is in line with something that Adam Schefter shared in 97.5 The Fanatic on Friday morning. Transcription via CBS Sports (emphasis added):
“Many things have gone wrong. We have the team that is preparing Jalen Hurts. We have Carson feeling rejected for that. We have the team trying to reassure him. Carson will not get over this. We have Carson fighting. We have Carson and Doug not talking for weeks on end during the season, when the head coach and quarterback don’t talk for eight, nine, ten weeks.“
There has been some setback in the deterioration of communication. Rob Maaddi says Pederson told him it was not true:
Yes, I reported that Doug himself told me after the season that his relationship with Carson was fine, that reports that he and Carson had problems are a “false narrative”. The fact that Doug was fired and Carson is still negotiated is further proof that it was not a Wentz-Pederson problem. https://t.co/zLbxpz839d
– Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) February 19, 2021
Some have suggested that Howie Roseman leaked to Schefter that Pederson and Wentz were not talking. Although I cannot say that I know Schefter’s source, I Does I know that I had heard weeks ago that Wentz and Doug didn’t speak to each other until the end of the season. And I can assure you that Roseman, whom I often criticize, is not giving me any inside information.
All of this is debatable in the sense that Wentz and Pederson are gone. But it certainly speaks of the dysfunction that occurred at the NovaCare Complex. We can only hope that it does not continue.