Carson Wentz Trade Talk has Slowed - For Now
PHILADELPHIA - We've reached the dueling-leaks portion of the Carson Wentz soap opera.
With the Eagles seemingly closing in on a deal for the former face of the franchise, things slowed dramatically Monday just as the opposite was expected.
The unwritten rule of not taking away attention from the Super Bowl had many around the league assuming Wentz would be dealt Monday or Tuesday at the latest.
Instead, it seems the opposing general managers playing chicken with Howie Roseman, most notably Indianapolis' Chris Ballard and Chicago's Ryan Pace but also potentially San Francisco's John Lynch, Las Vegas' Mike Mayock, and Carolins's Scott Fitterer, have volleyed back, or at least one of them has.
Former league executive Mike Lombardi explained the situation on Twitter Tuesday morning,
"The Eagles asking price, according to one team source, was ridiculous, laughable, and not worth countering," Lombardi wrote. "Until they lower their expectations, based on the uncertainty of the player and contract, their initial price will never be obtained."
Excuse the contradiction there but you presumably get the gist of the message - the Eagles' starting point was pie in the sky.
A source told SI.com's Eagle Maven that Roseman's asking price started with two first-round draft picks, on the surface certainly a silly expectation for a player that went through a historic regression in the 2020 season and was ultimately benched for a rookie second-round pick in Jalen Hurts.
The good news for the Eagles is that there is no shortage of QB-desperate teams with the hubris to take on Wentz as a reclamation project. The bad news is that Philadelphia is selling when the stock is at its lowest.
The thought around the league is that getting a first-round pick (either 20 or 21 from the Bears or Colts), an additional mid-round pick, and perhaps a player for Wentz with a mid-to-late-round pick also going back would be a win for Philadelphia from a pure personnel standpoint considering the circumstances.
The sticking point could be Jeffrey Lurie's expectations considering the Eagles owner will also be shattering the NFL's dead-money precedent with $33.8 million in sunk cost in any potential deal.
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Tuesday and Thursday on "The Middle" with Eytan Shander, Harry Mayes, and Barrett Brooks on SportsMap Radio and PhillyVoice.com. He’s also the host of Extending the Play on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
Ed Kracz is the publisher of EagleMaven. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
