Eagles News: Some believe Philadelphia will have to pay Carson Wentz’s roster bonus in order to trade him

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NFL insider notes: Don’t expect many big spenders in free agency, plus the latest on Carson Wentz and more - CBS Sports
The game of chicken being played between the Eagles, Colts and Bears over Carson Wentz was never particularly close to being resolved, despite what so many breathlessly reported around the Super Bowl, and his $10M roster bonus due next month remains an elephant in the room. The Eagles paid Sam Bradford a huge chunk of money not that long ago and then dealt him anyway, to the Vikings, for a first-round pick. Some believe ownership might be willing to – or ultimately may simply have to – swallow that kind of hit again to facilitate getting max compensation for what amounts to Philly’s backup QB at this point. Tough pill and one that won’t go down easy, but I don’t see the type of offers going their way increasing much unless that financial burden is born by the Eagles. There are a ton of options out there including the draft, and a very limited market for Wentz. This was never close, was always going to be tricky and while I expect Wentz is gone in the coming weeks, this was never going to be smooth.

NFL rumors: Eagles are trying to create ‘illusionary’ Carson Wentz trade market, ex-GM, N.J. native says - NJ.com
Lombardi said another impetus to get a deal done quickly is to avoid paying Wentz a $10 million roster bonus on the third day of the league year, something the team would not like to pay if they are looking to trade him. Lombardi said the roster bonus had created a de facto trade deadline. “They’ve tried to create this illusionary market out there,” Lombardi said. “They’ve taken billboards out with the Worldwide Leader, and they’ve done everything they possibly can to create this market that has become flat. Two weeks ago, he was supposed to get traded for a blockbuster, and that has not happened. Most teams are looking around, saying, ‘We’re not in it.’ The Eagles at some point will realize two days before that roster bonus is due is either make this deal, or it ain’t worth paying $10 million.”

What if the Eagles trade both Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts? - BGN
Hurts did have some flashes late last season. There were some things to like, such as his mobility and the touch he puts on his passes (a stark contrast to Wentz). But the overall numbers just weren’t pretty. We’re talking about a player who finished 40th out of 42 quarterbacks in Pro Football Focus grading and 31st out of 37 quarterbacks in Football Outsiders DVOA. Hurts posted a 26.7% bad throw percentage and a 60.7% on target throw percentage. For context, Drew Lock finished as the worst quarterback among qualified passers last season with 22.9% and 68.9%, respectively. This is to say that Hurts was significantly worse than the worst marks. Of course, this isn’t to suggest Hurts can’t improve. He played his rookie season at only 22 years old and he seems to have a great work ethic in addition to being highly coachable. Perhaps Nick Sirianni, Shane Steichen, and Brian Johnson will help bring out the best in Hurts. And even if the Eagles do draft a quarterback high this year, it doesn’t hurt (no pun intended) to keep Hurts around for more optionality.

FROM THE SB NATION NFL SHOW: Debating Wentz landing spot‪s‬ - BGN Radio
The SB Nation NFL Show brings together the greatest fan-alysts from across SB Nation’s NFL team communities in one place for the first time ever. Expect deep analysis, irreverent jokes, and plenty of bickering between rivals. It’s a show for NFL fans, by NFL fans.

Three free agents who make sense for the Eagles, version 1.0 - PhillyVoice
Gareon Conley is probably best known for having his stock fall drastically just prior to the 2017 NFL Draft after he was accused of sexual assault. (A grand jury later ruled not to charge him, and he even took a polygraph test for teams prior to the draft.) At the time, I had been told that the Eagles would have taken Conley with the 14th overall pick instead of Derek Barnett if those allegations hadn’t been made. Of course, he likely would not have made it to the 14th overall pick in that scenario. The Raiders ended up picking him 24th overall. In Oakland, Conley was a disappointment overall, but he flashed NFL talent, and was the Raiders’ No. 1 CB heading into the 2019 season. After six games in 2019, the Raiders traded him to the Texans for a third-round pick. It should be noted that Jon Gruden didn’t seem to have much use for any of the four Raiders’ first-round picks prior to his arrival, as Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper, Karl Joseph, and Conley are no longer on the team. In Houston, Conley had a solid season in 2019, and he got his hands on a lot of passes. Including the playoffs, he had 14 PBUs in 9 games.

Assessing the Roster - Iggles Blitz
Please don’t read this as some kind of compliment to the current team or Howie Roseman. The 1998 Eagles went 3-13 and had one of the worst offenses I’ve seen in watching 40+ years of NFL football. That was a dreadful team. For the current roster to be a hair better than that bunch heading into the offseason is pathetic.

The daunting challenge facing Nick Sirianni - NBCSP
All those guys had early success with the Eagles because they all had something to work with when they got here. Rhodes and Kelly reached the playoffs in their first season, and Ryan, Kotite, Reid and Pederson in their second year - throwing out the 1987 strike year for Buddy. What does Sirianni have to work with? Miles Sanders, Dallas Goedert and … Hmmm. You see why there’s an issue here. It’s been a long, long time since a new Eagles coach came into a worse situation. Maybe Marion Campbell in 1983. But he had young Mike Quick, a still effective Ron Jaworski, Wilbert Montgomery in his prime and youngsters like Ray Ellis, Dennis Harrison, Greg Brown, Anthony Griggs, Roynell Young and Hopkins on defense.

Why would Carson Wentz want to play for the Bears? - PFT
Then there’s the reality that seats are getting hot in Chicago. Wentz, if he fails in 2021, could see plenty of people with the team get fired. That would put a ton of extra pressure on him for the coming season, and it could result in Wentz being traded again after 2021. Although Wentz doesn’t have a no-trade clause, why would the Bears want him if he doesn’t want to be there? A well-time call from his agent to G.M. Ryan Pace could make that point clear, and it would become the ultimate caveat emptor for the courtship of Carson Wentz. Wentz should want to go to the Colts and only to the Colts. This creates a problem for the Eagles, since it undermines their leverage to have only one team at the table.

Top 10 QBs for 2021 NFL Draft: Trevor Lawrence leads, with Zach Wilson still hot - The Athletic
3. Justin Fields, Ohio State (6-3, 218 pounds). Kennesaw, Ga. (Harrison); Age: 22.15. A two-year starter at Ohio State, Fields was one of college football’s best players the last two seasons in head coach Ryan Day’s multiple-spread offense. With Jake Fromm blocking him at Georgia, he transferred to Columbus in 2019 and needed only 21 games to reach No. 2 in Ohio State history in career passing touchdowns (67), twice earning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors. Fields has had the spotlight on him for a long time and he hasn’t wilted, displaying the confidence and competitive toughness that teammates rally behind. He shows excellent tempo when the play is on schedule, but he must speed up his target-to-target progression reads and improve his urgency when the initial target is taken away. Overall, Fields’ decision-making is more methodical than spontaneous, but he has high-ceiling traits with his athleticism, accuracy and intangibles. He projects as a future NFL starter if he can quicken his reads and process.

Off Day Debrief #24: 10 Bold Offseason Prediction‪s‬ - The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera (Niners Nation) and Brandon Lee Gowton (Bleeding Green Nation) each make five bold predictions about what will happen before the new season kicks off in 2021. Dak Prescott and Russell Wilson both get traded. The Colts acquire two former Eagles QBs, but neither is Carson Wentz. JJ Watt spurns the Steelers for a chance to chase a ring in the NFC and more!

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