12/21/24
February 18, 2021
Eagles Trade Carson Wentz to Colts: Quarterback roulette continues in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles traded Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2021 third-round pick and 2022 conditional second-rounder that could become a first. The condition is whether Wentz plays at least 75 percent of the team's snaps (70 percent if Indy makes the playoffs). It'll be interesting to see how much time Wentz holds a clipboard instead of a football during games that aren't too close.
The Jags getting Trevor Lawrence has thrown every NFL team but the Chiefs into such a panic they're swapping quarterbacks.
posted by rcade at 01:39 PM on February 18, 2021
Yet in recent years, the overall starting talent at QB around the league has been at a remarkable high point compared to previous eras. There were only a few teams in the last couple of seasons who would not be considered "set" or at least had an established starter at QB. Taking into account that "being set" might mean that your starter was out with an injury like Big Ben.
Let's say the Jags, Bengals (2019), and Washington, with the jury still out on Drew Lock and no one knowing what the heck to make of Trubisky.
Back when the unwatchable Joe Pisarcik was the starting QB for the Giants, current backups like CJ Beathard, Nick Mullens, and Jacoby Brissett could have been solid starters in the NFL.
posted by beaverboard at 03:09 PM on February 18, 2021
The Jags getting Trevor Lawrence
.. Is probably a big mistake. There are better QBs in the draft. There are much better QBs in the league playing in bad situations. And it's not like the Jags have a killer O line that Lawrence could step in early and be successful.
posted by cixelsyd at 12:10 AM on February 19, 2021
This completes the jettisoning and reassignment of the top two picks of the 2016 draft.
I always questioned the amount of value that the Rams and Eagles gave up to put themselves in position to draft Goff and Wentz in the first place.
Then you add in other decisions like lavish premature contract extensions and it starts looking like one fistful of crazy money after the other.
The Rams are no Einsteins in the front office by any means. Goff's dead cap hit (and Gurley's too) plus Stafford's contract adds up to a lot of pain.
But the Eagles seem determined to purposely and perpetually suck. They ditch Pederson, presumably to put a new coach in a position to rehabilitate Wentz. Then they start shopping Wentz with a wild price tag. Then they hire Sirianni, who impressed no one who watched his intro presser, to replace Pederson. Then the word goes around that Wentz wantz out of Philly.
Now that they've shipped Wentz to Indy, his 2021 Philly cap hit is an astronomical $33 million plus. It's insane. The picks they're getting from the Colts could turn out to have decent value, but a lot of money has already gone overboard. I don't know how they expect to build a competitive roster before the next presidential election.
I remember a few years ago some pundits were saying: wait till other teams around the league figure out how Belichick achieves sustained excellence. Pretty soon, he'll have a lot of imitators when it comes to value rostering and competition for middle round and compensatory draft picks.
That day may eventually arrive, but at this point, it sure seems like a long way off.