The Indianapolis Colts made their big splash via the trade route, acquiring quarterback Carson Wentz from the Philadelphia Eagles for two draft picks.
In ranking the best quarterback moves of the offseason, the trade for Wentz was ranked second behind only the trade for Matthew Stafford by CBS Sports.
2. Colts trade for Carson Wentz
Cost: 2022 conditional second-rounder, 2021 third-rounder
Contract: 4 years, $98.4 million ($35.4 million guaranteed)Boring to have the two biggest trades rank atop the list, right? That depends who you ask, because after his disastrous 2020, Wentz has been all but written off by plenty. The Colts are inheriting a bigger, less flexible contract than the Rams with Stafford, but it’s going to be awfully hard for Wentz not to take a step forward in 2021, let alone under his favorite tutor in Frank Reich and alongside a sturdier offensive line and defense than he had in Philly. Odds are Wentz will end up being more like the 2018-2019 version of himself than the MVP-level 2017 edition, but even that would ensure a return to the playoffs for Indy, not to mention give Reich his first long-term answer at the position since before Andrew Luck’s abrupt retirement.
There are plenty of question marks surrounding Wentz and his future but there is some optimism circulating in Indy about the potential. Frank Reich is all in and seems to be ready to go for Wentz to be his quarterback for years to come even though he’s coming off of his worst season yet.
The Colts still have plenty of needs to address this offseason. They’ve made subtle moves to shore up some depth but there are concerns at left tackle and edge rusher. How Wentz will bounce back is also a major question mark but one that Reich feels will be fixed in time.
Though not everyone is bullish on the trade for Wentz, CBS Sports feels this could be a strong move for years to come.
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