Eagles 2020-2021 Season

[zambonir]

Foles only makes $4 million, I know he has a bigger cap hit but not hard to imagine them spending that on a second QB with Hurts.

Of course if it happens they probably draft one.

Whatever issue there was with Wentz and Pederson, clearly he still has one with Howie and Lurie (after all, it wasn't Pederson who spent a second-round pick on a potential replacement, instead of someone who could help Wentz win more games). And he obviously didn't have an issue with Press Taylor either. Pederson kind of got fired because he wanted to keep Taylor as much as any issues with Wentz.

None of it really matters: the rebuild is on. If they keep Wentz it's at best 50-50 that he's released vs. leading them to the playoffs in 2023. The cap issues created by trading him don't matter if 2021 isn't a competitive season anyway. And it appears his value is higher than we might have thought. Mostly, though, this seems like a mutual uncoupling.

[nycphils]

I think it can’t be good for Hurts (or Wilson or Fields, if one falls to the Eagles (I think the Eagles draft one if that happens)) to have Foles on the team - every time he misses a throw the fans will scream for Foles.

[LegoDoom]

Wentz for a 1st rounder+, then trade Hurts, #6, and #20 for Deshaun Watson would be my dream scenario.

[zambonir]

Deshaun would certainly be the best guy to get, but also the hardest. Maybe they would throw in McCown as back-up too

I think Eagles fans would be realistic about Foles at this point, especially having watched so many other SB heroes age out. It'd be like when Jim Thome came back. Like bkeich said if he's in the deal it's probably more of a paper move than a commitment, even if he did stay as insurance. Seems kind of besides the point with Doug gone.

[nycphils]

I doubt it is possible to fit Deshawn Watson (or any high priced QB) into our salary cap even though he’s only got a $16m cap hit this year (according to Sport Trac) - it goes up to $40-42m per year in 2022 and 2023.

Any cap guru able to correct me? It that’s wrong, I’d love to get him.

[LegoDoom]

I assume Foles would come back as a cap relief for Chicago and a backup to Hurts. Is there any indication otherwise?

As far as Deshaun being the hardest guy to get, I agree. However, I do think that #6, #20, and Hurts is a strong offer. Maybe even swap a 1st next year with the Bears pick just to layer the picks better for Houston (and Philly, really). Yes, NE or the Colts could offer 3 first rounders, but 3 late first round picks is worth maybe #6 overall this year. The only team with a stronger offer would be the NYJ if they include #2. Or maybe Miami, but much like Philly, that would come down to if the Texans like Hurts or Tua.

Maybe I'm being a homer, but between Hurts performance and his contract makes him a top asset.

[gmwannabe]

The old adage, "sometimes the best trades are the ones that are never made" could come in to play here. as much as i was a Foles person after the super bowl win, and i have always been a critic of the price that howie paid for wentz, maybe best to keep him than give him away. if it is a good return, then i'm for it. Putting the team behind the Hurts' wagon has more than a lot of risk to it. He certainly didn't set the world on fire, but he did create some excitement with the team. who knows??
gm

[zambonir]

Doesn't sound like they are willing to give him away, which is good as far as that goes, especially since the biggest cost of trading him is the cap implication and the hole at QB.

But, none of that matters if he doesn't want to be here, and the Eagles think his issues are deeper than just a bad year or needing better coaching. And it seems both things are true. If so just turns out to be a very big fail -despite a Super Bowl season that he was no small part of - for this office and front ownership, especially since they made such a big deal about how carefully they scouted him, off-field as much as on.

This actually helps the Eagles, for now (and maybe for later too).

Sources: Texans insist they're not trading Watson

Sounds like we'll move before the Jets too, unless of course it is a deal with them.

Sources: Multiple teams have interest in Darnold

[LegoDoom]

Doesn't sound like they are willing to give him away, which is good as far as that goes, especially since the biggest cost of trading him is the cap implication and the hole at QB.

I don't understand this. Wentz was really bad last year. Even if it wasn't all his fault, Hurts was better in the same situation. Is there really a big hole at QB if Wentz is traded?

I still have thoughts of Wentz as an MVP caliber QB, but I don't think that's realistic. I think the Wentz situation is more like Goff and am honestly shocked that a 1st round pick may be coming back for him.

[zambonir]

Hurts played four games. He was competent, with occasionally great flashes and occasional struggles. How many times have the Eagles had a QB - Foles included - who was good for 1 or 2 seasons but was not the answer? Given it is clearly untenable to keep both QBs, and someone else will be added to the roster, it's not a "hole" per se, but the next year or two will be more about finding out who the QB of the future is than actually winning anything - which still could have been true if the answer was Wentz.

[bkeich]

I would much rather keep Wentz and have him be the answer at QB, which I still think he could be, but for a 1st round pick, even a later one, frankly is a good deal. This team has very big holes and getting a pick around #20 should fill a big problem (LB, Safety, CB, WR). This could help speed up what is going to possibly be a big rebuild.

Hurts could be Russell Wilson lite, maybe. We need to surround him with the players that could make that possible, especially at WR. At the moment we have very little to work with, Reagor is something, but he is only ok. The rest are either journeymen (Ward, Fulgham) or too old (DJax, Jeffrey) or useless (JJAW).

Same with Ertz, I’d we could get say a 3rd round pick for him, that would really help.

I also think that (unfortunately) Lane Johnson should be on the block. I hate to lose him, but I would rather have Dillard and Maliata and a high pick.

Cox, also, would be a very good trade. Once again, hate to lose him, but if we could get a 1st round pick for him, which may be possible (or maybe 2nd), if is hard to overlook.

All of this would create a salary cap in 2021 that is laughably bad, but would clear the way for the future.

Obviously all these trades are too much to hope for, but maybe 2-3 of them?

Unfortunately, I have no trust at all in Howie’s ability to use these picks. I hope that Lurie realizes that he was on the right path of bringing in drafting help and re-implements it.

[LegoDoom]

The big difference, IMO, is the cap hit. You can take a lot of shots with 2nd round money to find a franchise QB. Not knowing that Wentz is a franchise QB, while him having a $35M cap hit, is a lot different than having a most likely underdrafted and now underpaid Hurts who has similar odds to being a franchise QB.

[allentown]

The Super Bowl is a pivot point for evaluating Wentz. Mahomes is a fantastic QB, but looked pretty much like crap when dealing with a lingering injury and an offensive line that suddenly is debilitated and unable either to protect him from rushers/blitzers or block for screens or run block well enough to make the run a big enough threat that Tampa had to worry and adjust to it. And Mahomes has an ace #1 receiver and a top TE and still looked bad, because of the O-line. He also looked panicked and lacked his normal panache, just as Wentz has this season.

I get that Wentz is unhappy, but he succeeded in getting Pederson fired and he willingly signed a big extension, so the Eagles ought not to be in a mad rush to trade him. Trying to rehab him themselves isn't the worst thing in the world if they fail to get a good offer for him. It is in interest as well as the Eagles to rebuild himself and his value if not traded. Does he even want to go to Chicago? Professional sports players have no control from draft to FA, but Wentz willingly signed a new deal to forego his chance at FA. Now he is under contract again.

The cap hit says to keep Wentz for at least next season, unless we get a good deal. Yes we might draft Field -- welcome new QB controversy and we would still be very short on receivers.

[zambonir]

Well, the difference is Mahomes looked bad for one game, the Super Bowl, against an elite defense. Wentz looked bad for most of a season, mostly against the worst division in the league.

It seems to me the Eagles are driving this train, not Wentz, and also that Wentz didn't get Doug fired. Rather, Doug all but quit because Howie wouldn't let him pick his staff. Again. Even though the OC was going to be a coach that Wentz likes (but hadn't actually coached well).

Just look at the coach's introductory press conference. Or the fact that they hired a Hurts family friend as QB coach. I think they are just done.

And they don't care about the cap hit because the 2021 season is already lost (and another 7-9, 8-8, 9-7 season doesn't really help them either). Most of Howie's success has also come in the wake of blow-ups. It almost seems like a bit of an ego thing, even. He's happy to prove he can rebuild the team, even though recent history calls that into question.

Of course, Wentz himself has yet to say one word. If he does want out, and he's still on the Eagles March 9th, then we'll probably hear about it.

[allentown]

Well, the difference is Mahomes looked bad for one game, the Super Bowl, against an elite defense.

I see it more as a common issue of a competent QB, who is used to playing in back of a poor offensive line, coping poorly with an ineffective offensive line. The deterioration of the O-line was a big change in the Eagles team. With an almost intact O-line and DJax, Wentz started the season looking plus. Unfortunately it only lasted 2 quarters.

[zambonir]

Well, if that's what another team sees (or the Eagles can convince them) it will help the trade price. I don't think anyone believe Wentz is a lost cause. But Wentz on the Eagles appears to be.

[zambonir]

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

I think at this point we can surmise that Carson did make it clear he wouldn't ever play for the Eagles again, and/or they didn't want him to. It seems he even got to pick his new team, and the Eagles were't going to risk the market collapsing (or getting stuck making that first payment in March).

[andyb]

That seems a decent deal given the contract. I know with a new coach that had a little more leverage in keeping him, but it also seemed like he was done in Philly and likely overpaid in his contract even if he does become an average starter somewhere else. It is just hard to get value for a player after you demote them.

[zambonir]

Depends on the condition I guess, but Wentz also had leverage as he'll probably renegotiate the last two guaranteed years of the deal.

Obviously the early noise about gettting a Stafford-like package was wishful thinking/an opening gambit.

What a disaster of a 2020 it was for Howie, in any case.

[andyb]

It is so much about the contract. I thought on talent the Stafford deal was an overpay, but the hidden factor was getting rid of the Goff contract which was too much for a QB not much above average, if that. It is kind of like a MLB player having little trade value if their contract is above their perceived value (kind of like Segura).