Carson Wentz to Indianapolis
How will the trade impact both franchises?
Well it’s official, the Carson Wentz era in Philadelphia is over. The Eagles sent the former number two overall pick to Indianapolis in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick, and a conditional 2022 second-round pick. The 2022 selection has the possibility of becoming a first rounder if Wentz plays at least 75% of the Colts’ offensive snaps, or if he plays 70% and Indianapolis makes the playoffs.
The question everyone is asking however, is who won the trade?
I’m not quite sure there is a winner in this trade. Instead I will look at how the trade will impact both teams. First, starting with Indianapolis.
It was clear the Colts were going to be aggressive going after a quarterback this offseason. Last year’s QB Philip Rivers announced his retirement at the end of the season, leaving a hole on the roster. And if we’re being honest, Indianapolis has had a hole at the quarterback position ever since Andrew Luck retired. That’s not to say Rivers played bad last year. The void left from Luck is just a lot to live up to.
Rivers actually played decent. He finished with 4,169 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. All numbers which were better than new quarterback Carson Wentz’s. The former Philadelphia QB finished with 2,620 yards, 16 touchdowns, and a league-high 15 interceptions in 12 games.
So why would Indianapolis trade for Wentz after such a down year?
The team gave up a third, and essentially a first (Wentz must play in at least 12 games, which he’s done in all but one season, to increase the pick to a first) for a struggling QB with worse numbers than their previous one. The Colts must be going off of previous potential in Wentz.
This year can be viewed as a bit of an outlier for Carson Wentz. Prior to this season, he only threw more than seven interceptions once (his rookie season). He also threw for at least 27 touchdowns twice in that span. While the QB was bad this year, the Eagles’ mishaps weren’t solely on Wentz. Philadelphia’s offensive line finished ranked 19th according to Pro Football Focus, which may be too high considering Wentz was sacked a league-high 50 times in just 12 games. It doesn’t stop there either, as the Eagles leading receiver finished with a measly 539 yards. The team also gave up the thirteenth-most points per game on defense. So to put the entire blame on Wentz for a poor season would be ignorant.
Indianapolis is hoping a reunion between Wentz and former Philly offensive coordinator Frank Reich will be beneficial for both sides. Under Reich, Wentz had his best season (33 touchdowns, seven interceptions), as the Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl. The Colts are also hoping an upgraded roster over Philadelphia’s will help Wentz. Indy’s offensive line finished ranked seventh, as Philip Rivers was only sacked 19 times. The Colts’ o-line also helped lead Jonathan Taylor to the third-most rushing yards this season. Wentz won’t have the pressure of having to score a ton either, as the Colts finished in the top-ten in total yards allowed per game (eighth-fewest), rushing yards allowed per game (second-fewest), and points allowed per game (tenth-fewest).
Now the weak spot for Indianapolis is similar to Philadelphia as neither team has a true number one receiver. The Colts’ leading receiver, T.Y. Hilton, finished with 762 yards. The good news for Indy however, is even after the Wentz trade, they still have the fourth-most cap space in the league ($43 million according to overthecap.com). The team will have the ability to go after guys like Allen Robinson and Kenny Golladay in free agency to complete their offense.
For Indianapolis, the hope is on previous production. If Wentz is able to return to form the deal won’t seem like too much. If Wentz continues his poor play however, the team will have given up far too much.
As for the other team in the deal, the Philadelphia Eagles. It was clear they had to move on from Wentz after last year. Benching him, after drafting a quarterback in the second-round absolutely killed his confidence. It was time for both sides to move on. The problem for the Eagles is the return isn’t quite what they were hoping for. It was reported that the team was looking for “a Matthew Stafford type deal.” Stafford went for two firsts, a third, and Jared Goff. Philadelphia didn’t really come that close.
Yes they got some compensation for Wentz. They however sold low on a guy who they gave up five picks to acquire. Philly also will own the biggest dead cap hit in NFL history after the trade ($33.8 million).
So where do the Eagles go from here?
Philadelphia definitely has more issues to deal with, even after moving on from Wentz. The team has the second-lowest amount of cap space, as they’re $47 million over according to overthecap.com. That number gets a little better next season, even though they’ll still have the ninth-lowest amount of space. This isn’t a good sign considering the amount of holes Philly has on their roster. Their offensive line is aging and injured. Their defense is lacking in many areas including the secondary and linebacking core. They have no true number one receiver. And then comes the quarterback debate.
Whether you’re a fan or not of Jalen Hurts, the jury is still out on his ability as an NFL quarterback. In four starts last season, he completed 52% of his passes for 1,061 yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions. He also ran for 354 yards, three touchdowns, but had nine total fumbles. The question is how does the team feel about Hurts.
Clearly they saw some ability since they selected him in the second round. However, some analysts and insiders suggested that Philadelphia could select a quarterback with the sixth pick this year. Whoever the QB is for the Eagles however, will have their hands full with a depleted roster.
So while this trade has some upside for each team (potential Wentz resurgence for Indianapolis, draft picks to fill out a roster for Philadelphia), it also carries risk for both (Wentz potentially continuing to regress, Hurts not being a true starting quarterback). Time will only tell which franchise got the better end of the deal.
