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Reunited, but will it feel so good?
Carson Wentz’s time with the Philadelphia Eagles is over, and he’ll start anew as the quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, coached by former Eagles OC Frank Reich. ESPN reports that the Colts are giving up this year’s third-round draft pick and a conditional second-rounder that can turn into a first-rounder in 2022.
The Eagles will receive the 85th overall pick in this year’s draft, and the conditional second-rounder can become a first-round pick based on Wentz’s playing time, according to sources. Wentz needs to play at least 75% of the Colts’ offensive snaps for the 2022 conditional pick to convey to a first-rounder, according to sources.
The pick also could become a first-rounder if Wentz plays at least 70% of the snaps and the Colts reach the playoffs. But the worst the 2022 pick can be is a second-rounder, meaning the Eagles are assured of netting two value picks for the former No. 2 overall selection in the 2016 draft.
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The Eagles will take a $33.8 million dead-cap hit — the largest dead-cap hit that any team ever has taken for a player — while the Colts will assume the balance of Wentz’s $128 million extension, including the $10 million guaranteed roster bonus due March 19.
I don’t really need to explain what happened with Wentz this season but he was one of the worst starters in the league. When Reich was the Eagles’ offensive coordinator, Wentz had by far his best season in 2017 before a knee injury ended his season and propelled Nick Foles into an unlikely Super Bowl run in the same system.
The Colts have a talented roster and made the playoffs with Philip Rivers at quarterback. Rivers’ retirement announcement prompted this move to get a new QB, and while it’s possible Wentz is unfixable, he’s clearly in a better situation in Indianapolis than the complete implosion of a team that denied the New England Patriots a Super Bowl repeat a mere four seasons ago.
As far as we’re concerned, the Seattle Seahawks play the Colts in Indy next season. Wentz’s last full game as a starter for the Eagles came against Seattle on Monday Night Football, after which he was permanently benched for Jalen Hurts late in the team’s following game against the Green Bay Packers. It’ll be a fresh start for Wentz and at least the assumption is that Hurts is currently QB1 for Philly.