Carson Wentz reportedly traded to the Indianapolis Colts — adding more intrigue to the Chicago Bears’ quarterback search
Scratch Carson Wentz’s name off the list of possible saviors for the Chicago Bears.
The Bears were rumored to be in hot pursuit of Wentz more than two weeks ago, but the Philadelphia Eagles reportedly agreed Thursday to trade the quarterback to the Indianapolis Colts.
ESPN reported the Colts will send Philadelphia a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 second-round pick that could become a first-round pick if Wentz plays 75% of the snaps next season or plays 70% and Indianapolis reaches the postseason.
Wentz becomes the third veteran quarterback to change teams after the Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 30 dealt Jared Goff and multiple draft picks to swing a deal with the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford.
The Bears, who are believed to have inquired about Stafford, remain in the hunt for a quarterback in what already has turned into a wild offseason of movement and high-stakes poker at the game’s most important position. No trades can be made official until March 17, the start of the new league year.
League sources said there wasn’t nearly as much interest in Wentz as there was for Stafford likely because teams viewed him at a lower tier, especially coming off a disastrous 2020 season and with durability concerns.
Sources with three teams said the Bears at one point were believed to be in the lead to strike a deal for Wentz but other sources believed it was gamesmanship from Philadelphia.
The Bears are in a desperate situation and any team looking to trade a quarterback is going to insert them in conversations. That’s an unavoidable quandary the Bears find themselves in.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy have the huge task of igniting a struggling offense and two possibilities have been removed from the board. The next move for Pace and Nagy, who already sit on the hot seat, isn’t clear.
It would be surprising if the Bears considered re-signing Mitch Trubisky or heading into the season with Nick Foles, the only quarterback currently under contract, as the starter. It’s possible given Pace’s track record for aggressive moves that he will swing big.
There has been speculation the Las Vegas Raiders will consider trading veteran Derek Carr but whether that pans out remains to be seen. He would be significantly more costly in terms of compensation than Wentz. The Raiders might also consider shopping Marcus Mariota or could choose to cut him to create cap space.
It’s possible the Bears liked, at least at some level, the idea of rebuilding around Wentz. Pace’s staff had a high grade on Wentz going into the 2016 draft, but the Eagles traded up to select him No. 2 overall. Quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo can provide a detailed assessment on Wentz. He was Wentz’s quarterback coach in Philadelphia in 2017 when Wentz played at an MVP-level before suffering a knee injury. Wentz helped guide the Eagles to the playoffs at the end of the 2019 season.
The Bears don’t have the luxury of playing the waiting game for too long when it comes to a quarterback. And with the No. 20 pick, they’re unlikely to find a solution in the draft unless they trade up.
The 28-year-old Wentz struggled last season (completing just 57.4% of passes with 16 touchdownsand 15 interceptions) and the Eagles were clearly motivated to ship him out despite saying publicly they were happy to move forward with Wentz. The team’s actions sent a much different message and it was clear it wasn’t a matter of if the Eagles would trade him but when.
Philadelphia drafted Jalen Hurts in the second round last April, a move that didn’t please Wentz, and the rookie started the final four games of the season. No one can say whether he’s the long-term solution at the position. Philadelphia’s motivation to move on from Wentz is telling because the Eagles will carry a $34 million salary cap hit because Wentz was signed to a blockbuster $128 million, four-year extension a little more than 18 months ago.
The Colts acquired Wentz’s contract, which has $98 million over four years remaining with $47.2 million fully guaranteed over the next two seasons. He reunites with Colts coach Frank Reich, who was the Eagles offensive coordinator when Wentz’s career took off. Indianapolis has been in search of a quarterback since Philip Rivers announced his retirement following the team’s wild-card round playoff loss.
Sources said the Eagles began shopping Wentz even before the Stafford trade. GM Howie Roseman, who once got a first-round pick from the Minnesota Vikings for Sam Bradford, didn’t have an offer that met his asking price, so he continued working to try to play teams off of one another.
The biggest story of the offseason will revolve around the future of Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. He has requested a trade, something the team has said it will not do. One source said the Texans aren’t even engaging in conversations when called about Watson at this point. The Bears seem a long shot to be able to land Watson if his wish is eventually granted.
It’s most likely the Bears still are plotting their next options with more QB movement expected.
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