Howie Roseman, Jeffrey Lurie Release Statements on Carson Wentz Trade

Carson Wentz is now officially a former Eagles quarterback.

The trade to the Indianapolis Colts was announced on Wednesday at 4 p.m. when they were allowed to do so with the start of the NFL’s new league year began. The move, however, has been known since Feb. 18 when the story broke.

What’s different is the Eagles duo of Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman released statements about the deal on the team’s website.

Head coach Nick Sirianni, who hasn’t spoken to the media since Jan. 29 at his introductory press conference when he stumbled and bumbled his way through the question about Wentz, also released a statement on the team’s website.

Predictably, none of the statements revealed exactly how the fracture occurred, though it’s a trade that has stamped the organization as dysfunctional considering they gave up five drafts picks to move up to the second overall pick in the draft less than five years ago and handed Wentz a $128 million contract extension less than two years ago.

"Everyone does things differently and I think one of the things that we've had success with is having relationships with our players and having open communication with our players," Roseman’s portion of the statement read. "That doesn't work for everyone, and I understand that, but at the same time, that makes it even harder to let them go in those times when you grow this kind of attachment to them and you have all the conversations you have with them and you know their families.

“But at the end of the day understanding that he felt it was best for him to get a fresh start, understanding that it's hard to win in the National Football League and to win you have to have a group of people who are all tied together and who are invested in what's going on here.

"We just felt like it was a fair trade, it was a good trade for the Colts, it was a good trade for the Philadelphia Eagles and where we are right now and so, we pulled the trigger."

Roseman’s statement also read like this:

"It's no secret about how we felt about Carson Wentz as a Philadelphia Eagle, whether it was the process of trading up for him in the (2016) draft or extending him (his contract) after the 2018 season, and we had this season where there were some things that happened and, obviously, Jalen (Hurts) ended up starting the last four games.

"We had some conversations with him and his representatives about what was the best thing to go forward and when we were doing the coaching search, communicating with him and his agent – really good, productive conversations, really good people – and they talked about maybe it was time for him to have a fresh start, that he was looking forward to a fresh start.

"For us, we've got to do what's in the best interest of our team. And so, if it didn't work for us, if it wasn't a situation where we thought we were also benefiting and he was put in a good spot, that was the only situation that would work for the Philadelphia Eagles. As we went through it and went through the offers that we got, particularly the offer from the Colts, the opportunity to not only get the picks but also get some financial flexibility back for our football team we decided going forward that that was the right decision going forward for us."

The Eagles are getting the Colts’ third-round pick in this year’s draft and a conditional second-round selection in 2022 that could become a first-rounder based on Wentz’s playing time.

Lurie’s statement went like this:

"The Eagles organization is truly grateful for everything Carson has meant to this team and the City of Philadelphia. His approach to the game of football and his passion to win brought so much pride and excitement to the team and our fans. He achieved great things as an Eagle, setting numerous franchise records and helping to guide the team to multiple division titles. Of course, we will always remember and value the crucial role he played in our Super Bowl Championship season in 2017.

"It was an honor getting to know Carson as a person and seeing first-hand how much he cares about using his platform to create meaningful change for the less fortunate. Carson is a tremendous, deeply compassionate human being who consistently represented the Eagles and our fans with class. We will all appreciate the substantial impact he made on our team and the community. We wish happiness and success to Carson and his family as they begin their next chapter in Indianapolis.”

Without Wentz, the Eagles are left Jalen Hurts as the only quarterback on the roster.

"There's a lot of things to be excited about with (Jalen's) tape and so we're so excited to work with him and get going with him and talking ball with him," said Sirianni. "Right now, we're in a period where we're talking and just getting to know each other. I look forward to the day when we can talk and really dive into football.

"What we saw is a player who can really extend plays and create on his own ... we saw his ability to create when things weren't there. That's an unbelievable asset to have as a football team. You can see his toughness on tape and how he carried himself. ... He is a leader who loves football. There is no substitute for that."

The Eagles seem intent to go all-in on Hurts as the starter, but there are mixed messages being sent from the organization, with Lurie reportedly telling his front office he didn’t want there to be any competition brought in for Hurts then on Wednesday a report emerged that said ties to Eagles ownership could be in play to make a strong run at Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Roseman said on the team website that he "won't put a cap on what we're going to do at that position." He did not rule out taking a QB at No. 6 overall on April 29 when the first round of the draft is held.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s EagleMaven. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.