Colts: Carson Wentz holding up Bears trade could help Indy in negotiations
By Jerry Trotta
At this point, Indianapolis Colts fans probably want nothing more than to go to sleep and not be woken up until the quarterback search is over.
Given the lack of traction the front office has made in negotiations for Carson Wentz, everyone could be in for an elongated hibernation.
But a recent update suggests that the pendulum might finally be starting to swing in the Colts’ favor.
According to insider Zak Keefer of The Athletic, not only would Wentz prefer to be dealt to Indy, but he reportedly isn’t keen on being dealt to the Bears, who are the only other team that has knowingly made inquiries about the former No. 2 overall pick.
If true, this would give the Colts significant (potentially groundbreaking) leverage over the Eagles in negotiations in that it could coerce them into scaling back their preposterous initial asking price, which reportedly included two first-round picks.
For somebody who finished among the worst quarterbacks in passer rating, completion percentage and yards per attempt this past season, Indianapolis was never going to consider paying as much as one first-rounder for Wentz.
I don't know what the Bears will do, but if Wentz prefers Indy — which it sure seems like he does — that gives the Colts added leverage. If the Eagles are waiting for a monster offer, like the two 1s they asked for at the start, that won't come from the Colts.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) February 17, 2021
The Colts’ patient approach in trade negotiations for Carson Wentz might finally be starting to pay off.
Most fans believed this to be the case, but now that it’s being reported by well-informed insiders suggests that the Colts might be leading the Wentz chase after all. Think about it like this: if Wentz is making it a point for his agents to disclose his lack of interest to play for Chicago, then why would the Bears even consider trading for him?
This would leave Indianapolis having to play the waiting game with Philadelphia. That normally isn’t what you would want in trade negotiations, but seeing as though Chicago is the only other team in the running for Wentz’s services, it’s quite simply a perfect situation for general manager Chris Ballard. After all, you have to think, assuming the Bears’ pull themselves out of the running in due time, that the Eagles will eventually take whatever the Colts are offering.
Here's the latest news (but not really news) regarding Carson Wentz, as trade progress remains a little constipated, to say the least https://t.co/TPsFzKLGxS
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 17, 2021
We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but it’s looking a lot like the stars are starting to align for the Colts in this prolonged negotiation process. And for the pessimistic fans claiming that Wentz has no say in where he ends up, that’s pretty much irrelevant now after this new update.
Again, how could the Bears possibly expect to reach their full potential with a franchise quarterback who doesn’t even want to be there? If this report has any legs, it proves the Eagles have backed themselves into a corner and Indianapolis might be the only franchise capable of offering them a way out.
Sounds good, right?
