The Philadelphia Eagles were hoping to switch to QB Carson Wentz soon, sources say

The Philadelphia Eagles are expected to replace Carson Wentz in the next few days in what would be the last box office quarterback deal to boost the NFL, league sources have told ESPN.

The most pertinent questions now become where, when and for what. But that could happen as early as this week, according to league sources, even as the Eagles continue to insist on other teams that would be happy to return Wentz to Philadelphia.

The Eagles are said to have been looking for, in the words of a well-placed source, “a Matthew Stafford package” in exchange for Wentz. The Lions traded Stafford to the Rams last weekend for a third-round pick this year, two future first-round picks and quarterback Jared Goff, the player selected directly against Wentz as the top two NFL draft picks of 2016.

Among the teams that have expressed some interest in Wentz are the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts, sources told ESPN, though other teams have also called to assess the market and see what a package would look like for quarterback Eagles.

It’s all part of a low NFL season that will feature a wave of quarterback moves, with teams rushing to make sure they don’t fall behind. Once Wentz is changed, league sources believe he could help set the asking price for other offers, such as one involving New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold.

But a possible Wentz trade has been underway for more than a week, as the Eagles took part in a wave of trade talks shortly after Stafford was sent to Los Angeles.

Those talks escalated as the week went on, but the Eagles continue to tell teams they have no plans to negotiate Wentz unless they get what they believe is adequate compensation for him. Talks so far suggest that, according to league sources, they will make Jalen Hurts the Eagles as the quarterback for the second season of 2020 to be the quarterback for next season.

While the Eagles are in no hurry to change Wentz, and nothing can be made official until the new league year begins on March 17, Wentz has a $ 10 million bonus to pay on the third day of the year. league that Philadelphia would have to pay for if its former first-round pick was on its roster. That is why a trade is expected to be agreed upon long before.

Wentz’s departure would also leave the Eagles with a $ 34 million limit, which would add to their difficult limit situation. But Philadelphia has known the limit challenges ahead of them for months and has a plan to tackle it, just as the Rams did with Goff’s departure and dead money.

New Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, who was hired to replace Doug Pederson, has not publicly committed to Wentz as a starter, because he is fully aware that there is a possibility that the quarterback will not be on the roster in 2021. .

However, team sources say Sirianni has recently had a staff meeting at which many offensive coaches expressed that they believed they could help Wentz regain his Pro Bowl form.

The Eagles open to moving Wentz to a trade support owner Jeffrey Lurie’s statement that Pederson’s shooting was not primarily related to Wentz’s decline in 2020.

There have been whispers over the years that Wentz sometimes struggled with his ability to establish relationships through the locker room, but others believe it could have been a natural byproduct of him and the team not meeting the requirements. high expectations that followed Season 2017.

For many public accounts, Wentz has handled the class throughout his stay in Philadelphia and has received public support from many of the team’s leaders over the years, including the most recent Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce.

Despite efforts to solicit his reaction, Wentz was unable to comment. The Eagles declined comment.

But now it’s all over, with the Eagles engaging in trade talks that several league sources believe will end up being the next NFL quarterback trade.