Odds on Carson Wentz’ Next Team if the Eagles Trade Him – Colts Favored, Bears, Broncos Given Short Odds
By Michael Harrison in NFL Football
Published:
- Carson Wentz finally got benched by the Eagles in Week 14 after struggling all season
- With rookie second round pick Jalen Hurts performing well against the Saints, could Wentz be on the move in the off-season?
- Read below to see what teams may be a logical landing spot for the Eagles signal-caller
Things change quickly in the NFL and what is going on with the Philadelphia Eagles is no different – just three seasons after their magical playoff run, capped off by the “Philly Special” which led to their first Super Bowl title, big changes might be in the store for the franchise.
Carson Wentz has regressed significantly from the early part of his career, so much so that Philadelphia spent a second round pick on Jalen Hurts in this past year’s draft. Coach Doug Pederson finally inserted Hurts into the starting lineup last week and he led the team to the huge upset over the Saints. With Wentz firmly entrenched on the bench, speculation is running rampant on whether the team and their former franchise QB will part ways in the off-season.
Despite still being the odds-on favorite to start week one of the 2021 season with the Eagles, the team could decide to move on if they get an offer from several QB needy teams. So which ones provide the best destination for the former #2 overall pick?
Carson Wentz’s Next Team Odds
Team | Odds |
---|---|
Indianapolis Colts | +225 |
Chicago Bears | +250 |
Denver Broncos | +300 |
New England Patriots | +450 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | +600 |
Odds as of Dec. 16. Bet is graded no action if he’s not traded.
A Trade Difficult to Pull Off
It may not be what Eagles fans want to hear, but keeping Carson Wentz is the most logical thing to do next season because cutting him would result in a whopping $59 million in dead money against the cap. The team could facilitate a trade that would make things slightly more digestible for the team, but they’d still be incurring roughly $34 million in dead money, making a potential deal DOA.
Carson Wentz’s $128 million deal hasn’t technically started and it’s the worst contract in the league right now. Quite an accomplishment.
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) December 8, 2020
Philadelphia wouldn’t exactly be dealing from a position of strength and everybody knows it. They’ll likely need to take on some of his salary but the more they take on, the better a potential return in draft capital could be.
The Eagles have dealt with a slew of injuries on offense this season, with several skill position players missing time throughout the year like Zach Ertz, Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson and first round pick Jalen Reagor, along with key offensive linemen. That hasn’t been easy on Wentz, and it likely will rear its ugly head on Jalen Hurts in the final three weeks to put together something consistent.
It’s now 17-0 Eagles…. I wonder how everyone is feeling about Carson Wentz “potential” today 😂 pic.twitter.com/fdxAX1f7XK
— Sami ON Tap (@SamiOnTap) December 13, 2020
The probable outcome is that they decide to consider this season a wash, realize that coach Doug Pederson has led them to the playoffs in each of the last three seasons and that the deck was stacked against them so they’ll stay the course with coach-QB tandem.
Potential Landing Spots for Wentz
If owner Jeffrey Lurie cleans house, big changes could be on the horizon, with teams like Indianapolis, Chicago, Denver or an off the board pick like Jacksonville the most logical destinations for Wentz.
There will be no shortage of teams desperately needing quarterbacks going into next year, which could convince one of them that Wentz, who was well on his way to the 2017 MVP before tearing his ACL late in the season, is worth taking a flier on.
Doug Pederson when Carson Wentz starts: 35-33-1
Doug Pederson when Carson Wentz doesn't start: 11-3#BirdsOutsiders
— Joe Giglio (@JoeGiglioSports) December 14, 2020
The big reason Indy is favored is because Philip Rivers and Jacoby Brissett are off the books after the season plus Head Coach Frank Reich was Wentz’s offensive coordinator with the Eagles. The team also has oodles of cap space at their disposal.
Would the Bears go back to the well and bring in another former Eagles QB, after the largely failed experiment with Nick Foles this season? If Matt Nagy hangs around, he could be inclined to go all-in on what certainly would be a make-or-break year.
Jacksonville has the most projected cap space of any team heading into next year, and with a new head coach all but a certainty, Gardner Minshew, Jake Luton and Mike Glennon could very well pave the way for Wentz to take the reins if they lose out on the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes to the Jets.
A very logical landing spot is Denver, who have a good-not-great QB in Drew Lock on his rookie contract and projected $25 million in cap space next season. John Elway has also been constantly searching for the solution under center since Peyton Manning retired.
Pick: Denver Broncos (+300)
Sports & Entertainment Writer
Michael "Hound Dog" Harrison is well known in the sports industry as the resident statistician for the SC with Jay Onrait Show. He has worked at TSN for over 16 years, where he's been featured on Sportscentre, That's Hockey, That's Hockey 2Nite, The Masters preview shows, and several more.