Carson Wentz Trade Rumors: Colts May Have Been Only Team to Make Offer to Eagles
February 19, 2021
The Indianapolis Colts may have been the only team to make an offer for quarterback Carson Wentz before the Philadelphia Eagles traded him to Indy on Thursday.
During an appearance on the John Kincade Show on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philly, ESPN's Adam Schefter said, "I don't think anyone but Indianapolis made an offer."
The Eagles ultimately dealt Wentz to the Colts for a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 second-round pick that could become a first-rounder.
Per Schefter, the second-rounder will become a first if Wentz plays 75 percent or more of the Colts' offensive snaps in 2021 or 70 percent or more of the snaps with the Colts also making the playoffs.
Schefter also noted that while the Colts slightly upped their initial offer for Wentz, their final offer sat on the table for a week before the Eagles accepted it.
Wentz was once viewed as the Eagles' clear franchise quarterback, but the luster was lost last season when he struggled through the worst campaign of his career.
The 28-year-old went just 3-8-1 as a starter before getting replaced by rookie second-round pick Jalen Hurts. In those 12 games, Wentz completed just 57.4 percent of his passes for 2,620 yards with 16 touchdowns and an NFL-high 15 interceptions.
Making it even tougher for Philly to move Wentz was the fact that the club signed him to a four-year, $128 million contract extension in 2019.
Ultimately, the Colts may have been the one team able to justify trading for Wentz, and that is because of his relationship with head coach Frank Reich.
In 2017, Wentz was the MVP front-runner before a torn ACL ended his year with three games remaining in the regular season. At that point, Wentz had posted an 11-2 record and completed 60.2 percent of his passes for 3,296 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Reich was Wentz's offensive coordinator that year, and it was his final season with the Eagles before becoming head coach of the Colts.
Perhaps it is no coincidence that Wentz's production fell off after Reich left, and it is possible that Reich is the key to unlocking Wentz's past success.
The Colts had a clear and obvious need at quarterback with the retirement of Philip Rivers, and they are banking on the notion that Wentz and Reich can be a winning combination once again.