It has been no secret that the Indianapolis Colts have had their eyes on potentially acquiring quarterback Carson Wentz in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason.
Whether a deal comes to fruition remains to be seen, but the Colts have certainly shown interest in the 28-year-old. It seems to be coming down to compensation between the two sides, and the Colts have competition from the Chicago Bears.
In The Athletic’s bold predictions for the offseason, the trade does take place with the Colts giving up their first (No. 21) and third-round (No. 85) picks in exchange for Wentz and the No. 37 overall pick.
If you’re the Colts, you know you need to find a starter from somewhere this offseason. You convince yourself that Wentz’s 2020 season was an outlier related to bad coaching, offensive line injuries and front-office mishaps. In 2018 and 2019, Wentz ranked 11th and 12th, respectively, in QBR. You tell yourself that Frank Reich can at least get that level of play out of him. And maybe Wentz can still recapture his 2017 magic, given that he’s only 28 years old. If you believe that Wentz is a top-15 guy, his contract (two years, $47.4 million) is perfectly reasonable.
Having said that, GM Chris Ballard is unlikely to get fleeced, regardless of how badly Reich wants Wentz. If you’re Ballard and Roseman is asking you to sweeten the deal, you point out that the Eagles think so little of Wentz and their ability to fix him that they’re willing to take on the biggest dead cap hit in NFL history just to move on.
Maybe the Bears or a mystery team goes big after Wentz and meets Roseman’s demands, but ultimately I think the Colts end up with him. Indianapolis gives up its first- and third-round picks (Nos. 21 and 85), but the Colts get back the Eagles’ second-round selection (No. 37) and Wentz.
It’s clear that the Eagles want to get a first-round pick back even though Wentz was benched for a rookie in 2020. The Colts are likely going to do everything in their power to not give up the No. 21 overall pick, but the Eagles seem to be standing strong with their price.
There is no denying the Colts need a quarterback. Wentz might wind up being the one they go for and if he is, it will be interesting to see what kind of compensation Indy gives up.
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