Which team won the Carson Wentz, Matthew Stafford negotiations?

On Thursday, all the drama surrounding the Eagles’ quarterback, Carson Wentz, finally came to an end. The Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts agreed to a deal that would send the Eagles a third round choice in 2021 and a second round choice in 2022, which would become a first round choice if Wentz played 75 percent of the snaps in 2021 ( or 70 percent and the Colts make it to the playoffs) and send Wentz to the Colts.

For Wentz, it is a chance to restart his career with Frank Reich, who was his offensive coordinator when he joined the league. For the Eagles, it is not the kind of Matthew Stafford deal they expected, but it is not a bad move for a quarterback who played so badly that he was considered a reserve at the end of the year.

Obviously, this trade did not have the brilliance and excitement of the Detroit Lions / Los Angeles Rams quarterback switch, but it does contribute to an already unconventional offseason.

So today’s question is:

Which of the 4 teams in the two quarterback negotiations made the best deal?

My answer: first, let’s review what each team won and lost:

Philadelphia Eagles

Has won:

• 2021 choice of third round
• 2022 choice of second round (may be a first round)
• $ 816,928 in maximum limit (original Wentz limit reached $ 34.67 million – $ 33.8 million in dead limit)

Lost:

Indianapolis Colts

Has won:

Lost:

• 2021 choice of third round
• 2022 choice of second round (may be a first round)
• $ 25.4 million cap (Wentz contract for 2021)

Detroit Lions

Has won:

• 2021 choice of third round
• 2022 choice of first round
• 2023 choice of first round
• Jared Goff

Lost:

• Matthew Stafford
• $ 13.83 million in cap room ($ 14 million saved from Stafford contract – $ 27.8 million from Goff contract)

Los Angeles Rams

Has won:

Lost:

• 2021 choice of third round
• 2022 choice of first round
• Choice of the first round of 2023
• Jared Goff
• $ 7.6 million in cap ($ 12.4 in Goff’s savings, $ 20 million in new Stafford’s cap)

Your opinion of who made the best deal probably depends on whether you are taking a short or long term approach. Lions lost the best immediate asset at Matthew Stafford and lost a large chunk of the 2021 cap space, but they also made the best acquisition for the future by a large margin.

The Rams received an immediate piece that placed them in Super Bowl territory this year, but they will have to operate without a choice in the first round for a few more years.

As for the other trade, it is difficult for me to label any of these teams as a winner. The Eagles raised a decent amount of capital from the draft, but they had almost no relief from the limit by sending Wentz away and it is far from the result that the Lions obtained. And while the Colts have plenty of resources to absorb Wentz’s contract and the design choices that cost them, that seems a little arrogant on Reich’s part. I’m not sure if Wentz is the piece that takes the Colts to the top.

Maybe it’s Kool-Aid speaking, but I think Lions have made the best of their situation on the four teams and have actually managed to part ways with a player in a friendly way.

Your turn.