It can be difficult to separate legitimate reporting from media noise in sports. Especially in a city like Philadelphia, where everything is micro-analyzed.
When it comes to all the media reporting around Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, I’ve often attributed it to just media noise. Because for the most part, a lot of the internal struggle between Wentz and organizational leadership was a narrative conjured up by local media pundits, and a large portion of their sources for these claims were anonymous. Not to say these reports were made up from nothing, but I have a hard time placing all of my belief in reports sourced from anonymous people.
From my perspective, I thought once Doug Pederson was gone, Wentz would be willing to make things work in Philly with new head coach Nick Sirianni. But after no ‘welcome to Philly’ message on social media for Sirianni — something Wentz has done for nearly every player who’s ever joined his team — and no indication from Wentz’s camp that he’s ready to go with the Eagles next season, we’re left to wonder if Wentz’s frustration runs deeper than just the head coach.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter chimed in on the Wentz conversation on Wednesday morning, appearing on 97.5 The Fanatic to speak with John Kincade. On Wentz’s refrainment on welcoming Sirianni to Philly, Schefter said, “Well, that tells you something.”
He continued talking about the constant reporting that Wentz still wants out of Philly, stating, “This is all real. None of this is made up. And just because he would like to be moved or hasn’t commented doesn’t mean he will be. If I had to guess, I would guess he is traded. That would be my guess. At some point this offseason. But, again, they’re not looking to get rid of him. They’re not.”
Schefter is the most respected name in NFL reporting today. Whatever he puts out there is almost always true.
Now, reports are surfacing that the team is actually getting calls for Wentz. Reportedly they’re not interested in dealing him, but they’ve still been listening to offers.
So now that it seems abundantly clear that Wentz wants out of Philly, the question is why?
The organization got rid of the coach that he had a bad relationship with — a coach who won the city’s first Super Bowl. Wentz is set to be the sixth-highest paid quarterback in football next year, despite being one of the worst starting quarterbacks in football next year. And from an outsider’s perspective, it appears the organization is doing everything they can to salvage this situation.
Maybe the drafting of Jalen Hurts just one season after Wentz seemed to turn a corner at the end of the 2019 season rubbed him the wrong way? It’s a possibility — but it’s a weak excuse if it’s even remotely true. That would explain why Wentz still wants out even though Pederson is gone, with Howie Roseman’s job still intact.
Understanding why Wentz wants out of here is a guessing game at this point. But the question of will he actually be traded this offseason, it’s hard to deny we’re creeping closer to that becoming a reality.
After the blockbuster trade involving Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford, the NFL has turned a corner in how the trading of players will be conducted. Regardless of Wentz’s big cap number, if a team sends the right offer to Roseman’s desk, he’ll certainly consider it. The cap number really doesn’t matter if a team believes Wentz can be their franchise guy.
Should it happen, the Eagles will be entering a rebuilding stage — there’s no denying that. Both Roseman and Lurie have hinted at this numerous times over the past calendar year, and if both Pederson and Wentz are gone, their hints will come to fruition.
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