Carson Wentz Traded to Indianapolis Colts

Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles split today, with the quarterback being traded to the Indianapolis Colts.

Arguably the most important news following JJ Watt’s release exploded earlier today, with the Eagles deciding to move on from the 28-year old. In return, the Colts are sending the third-round pick from this year’s draft and the conditional second-round pick for the 2022 NFL draft, which could turn into the first-round choice.

If Wentz plays more than 75% of Colts’ offensive snaps in the upcoming year, or if he plays 70% of snaps and the franchise from Indianapolis reaches the playoffs, that pick turns into a first-round selection.

Philadelphia has agreed to trade Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 second-round pick that could turn into a first, league sources tell @mortreport and me.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 18, 2021

The No.2 pick from the 2016 NFL draft was one of the best in the league in his first three seasons, setting up to foundations for winning the Super Bowl LII and leading the Eagles to the tied-best record in the NFL before getting injured. After that, Nick Foles jumped in, and the rest is history.

Wentz had a fantastic 2017 season, with 33 wins and seven interceptions, throwing for 3,296 yards and being one of the biggest MVP contenders. In 13 matches he played, the Eagles had 11 triumphs and just two defeats. Eventually, he received the First-Team All-Pro honors and the Pro Bowl invitation.

That was the first of three straight campaigns in which he had 20+ TDs and fewer than 10 interceptions, becoming just one of few people to achieve that.

However, Wentz’s fall this year was incredible, as he led the league in interceptions, 15, and sacks, 50, even though playing in just 12 events. It seems that the Eagles’ decision to draft Jalen Hurts in the second round shook Wentz’s morale, and that he couldn’t handle the pressure.

The franchise itself was falling apart, ending the year with just four wins, and 11 losses along with one draw, against the Cincinnati Bengals. With the regular part of the season nearing its end, head coach Doug Pederson decided to bench Wentz and give Hurts a chance. Shortly after, Wentz signaled that he wants a trade.

Colts were one of the teams who wanted him for several reasons. One is his connection with the head coach Frank Reich and the second is the fact that Philip Rivers retired following the loss in the Wild Card round vs. Bills.

Reich was Eagles’ offensive coordinator in Wentz’s two first seasons, and if someone knows him that would be Colts’ HC. He was the one who shaped Wentz in those two years, mentoring the youngster at the time and making him one of the best in the league.

We are more than sure that Reich has some sort of a plan on how to bring back his former protege to the elite echelon of NFL quarterbacks.

Wentz could be a very good fit for the Colts’ offense, as he has solid weapons on the roster. If TY Hilton sticks around, that will give him an elite target, but we need to mention that the diversity was, in fact, the biggest strength of this team’s attack. They had 9 players with 250 or more receiving yards.

Jonathan Taylor racked up 1,169 rushing yards emerging as one of the best running backs in the league, and he too, will help Wentz a lot. Just to remind you that the Colts finished the last year with 11 wins and five defeats reaching the postseason, but losing to the Bills on the road following a dramatic ending, which could have gone either way.