Carson Wentz Says He Has Respect for Jadeveon Clowney amid Eagles Rumors

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a concussion in his team's NFC Wild Card Game against the Seattle Seahawks following a hit from defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

Clowney is now a free agent and reportedly garnering interest from the Eagles, and John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia asked Wentz in a video call whether he'd have an issue welcoming the six-year veteran to the team. 

"Listen, at the end of the day, I’ll trust [Eagles general manager Howie Roseman] with that," Wentz told Clark. “That play happened, it is what it is. That’s football. It was an unfortunate way to end season for me personally, but I have respect for Jadeveon, he’s a heck of a player."

The aforementioned hit forced Wentz to the sidelines midway through the first quarter. The Eagles lost 17-9.

Wentz also spoke more on the hit itself.

"I don’t think he had any ill will with that hit," Wentz said. "That’s part of football. But he’s a heck of a player, so I trust Howie to make the right decisions to make our team the best we can be."

Clowney, 27, is a three-time Pro Bowler who played his first five seasons with the Houston Texans prior to a September 2019 trade that sent him to Seattle.

Clowney is one of the biggest names left on the free-agent market. Dianna Russini of ESPN reported May 1 that the Tennessee Titans and 'Hawks both made offers to the defensive end, and Mark Berman of FOX 26 also mentioned the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia among those "expressing interest."

However, ESPN's Adam Schefter said he would not classify the Eagles-Clowney link as "real and serious," per Mark Farzetta of 97.5 The Fanatic (h/t Kevin Kinkead of Crossing Broad):

"Showing interest, what does that mean? The Philadelphia Eagles show interest in just about every free agent, they check in on a lot of people because you never know how low a price would go.

"I wouldn’t classify it right now as something ‘real and serious’. Clowney wants teams to think there’s five teams interested in him."

Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94 WIP Radio also expressed some doubt that the Eagles were seriously interested in bringing Clowney in on a long-term deal.

"Eagles are one of the best teams in the league at gathering info, so it isn't surprising to see them in on Clowney. Likely checking in consistently, seeing what the current contract price is. If it drops low enough, he certainly fits a major need at DE.

"I got the sense last offseason that Clowney had more interest in joining the Eagles than the Eagles did of bringing him in. So if he isn't happy with long-term options, maybe he picks Eagles as a 1-year, prove-it spot to rebuild his value. Would get to rush next to some stud DTs."

Clowney has 32.0 sacks over his past five seasons, with a career high of 9.5 in 2017.