Colts-Carson Wentz deal seems dead after Eagles’ latest news
By Jerry Trotta
The latest news out of Philadelphia throws cold water on the Colts-Carson Wentz trade rumors.
Once it became apparent about midway through the season that Carson Wentz’s future in Philadelphia was in jeopardy, rumors immediately began tabbing the Indianapolis Colts as a potential trade destination in the offseason, should the Eagles decide to move off of their previous franchise QB.
When you consider that such a deal would reunite Wentz with Frank Reich, his former offensive coordinator with the Eagles who helped him emerge as one of the elite players at his position, those links made perfect sense. “If there was anybody in the league capable of fixing Wentz, it’s Reich,” was the consensus opinion among pundits and fans.
Well, it would appear that those rumors should be put on hold for now after Philly surprisingly (for the most part) fired head coach Doug Pederson, who was apparently fed up with being told what to do by the franchise’s higher-ups.
It was recently reported that Wentz and Pederson’s relationship was fractured beyond repair after the struggling quarterback was benched in favor of 2020 second-round pick Jalen Hurts, which is pretty bizarre when you consider Pederson kept him as the starter way longer than his play warranted.
After speaking with two people close to former #Eagles coach Doug Pederson, it sounds like this is what it boiled down: Pederson was sick of people telling him what to do.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 11, 2021
Whatever the case, this move indicates that the Eagles aren’t quite ready to give up on Wentz despite him looking like one of the worst quarterbacks in the league this season. In many ways, this news should be viewed as a blessing in disguise for Colts fans, as it makes their decision on who to start at quarterback in 2021 a lot easier.
We were initially on board with the idea of trading for Wentz, given his ties to Reich and the fact Indy already had the requisite pieces in place — a stable offensive line and dynamic offensive weapons — to help him realize his potential. However, once the former Pro Bowler continued to tailspin, we came to the realization that this monster extension, which doesn’t kick in until next season, would be a nightmare to take on…even if he came at a discount.
Doug Pederson is out as #Eagles coach, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 11, 2021
It’s admittedly puzzling that the Eagles chose a seemingly broken quarterback over a Super Bowl-winning head coach, but that’s simply the consequence (among other things) when you actively tank a game in primetime with a chance to play spoiler against a division rival before the playoffs and lose the locker room in the process.
Their new head coach will likely play a huge role in the decision to keep Wentz or roll with Hurts as the starter, but for now, fans in Indianapolis can breathe a sigh of relief.
On the surface, it looks like the former has a solid chance of staying put in Philadelphia for at least one more season.
