Much of the talk surrounding the Indianapolis Colts lately has been whether they will be the team to trade for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.
The Colts have certainly shown interest in making a deal, but they want to do it on their terms. The Eagles are looking for first-round compensation, but it’s hard to see the Colts giving up that much for Wentz, who was benched for rookie Jalen Hurts in 2020.
But a deal could still go down, and Pro Football Focus proposed what they think that trade would look like. In their proposal, the Colts keep their first-round pick.
QB CARSON WENTZ → INDIANAPOLIS COLTS FOR A 2021 2ND (#54), 2022 3RD
Eagles Cap Implications: $33.8 million dead money, $852,928 million in cap savings
Colts Cap Implications: Four-year, $98,401,000 ($24.6M APY), $47.4 million total guarantees
Colts head coach Frank Reich was the offensive coordinator in Philadelphia when Wentz had his best season, and he is beloved by his players by all accounts. More importantly to Wentz, perhaps, is the fact that 2020 fourth-rounder Jacob Eason is the only other quarterback under contract in Indianapolis, and he poses little threat to Wentz’s job. A clean slate for Wentz could clear his mind and have him back to playing closer to his full potential.
If there is one team that can help Wentz get back on track, it’s the Colts. They have several familiar faces in Indy with Reich, they just added Press Taylor to the staff and wide receivers coach Mike Groh was the offensive coordinator for Wentz after Reich left.
The Colts believe they have the staff and system in place to help fix Wentz’s issues, which reportedly go beyond the playing field.
In this trade, the Colts give up a second-rounder, which is tough for Ballard. But they get to keep the No. 21 overall pick, which could help them find a left tackle or help them trade up for a quarterback if they wanted to.
It will be interesting to see what happens with the Wentz saga and what the Colts will have given up if they are the team to acquire him.
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