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UPDATE: I mean, if Howie Roseman can pull this off ...
So now I’m hearing the Eagles want at least two first round picks and a player for Wentz and the Bears are listening!!!!!!!
— George Ofman (@georgeofman) February 5, 2021
ORIGINAL STORY BELOW.
Carson Wentz trade rumors continue to swirl and the latest one has the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback landing on the Chicago Bears. The following tweet comes from a contributor to our SB Nation sister site, Windy City Gridiron:
As of 30 mins ago the #Bears have the top offer out for Carson Wentz. Unless another team comes over the top Wentz will be headed to Chicago. Bigger offer than most have expected. Bidding war will do that.
— Brandon Robinson (@BRobNFL) February 5, 2021
Typical disclaimer with any rumor we share applies here: take this with an appropriate grain of salt.
The premise is certainly logical, though. We previously dubbed the Bears as the second most likely landing spot for Wentz earlier today:
Mitchell Trubisky is going to be a free agent. He had a good stretch late in the regular season but Chicago will (or, at least, SHOULD) be wary of buying in to fool’s gold. Nick Foles is still under contract but he struggled (80.8) after taking over as a starter.
And so maybe the Bears, who reportedly called about Stafford, will be in on Wentz. John Kincade said on Wednesday that he heard the Bears are a team to watch.
John DeFilippo, who played a part in Wentz’s near-MVP level success in 2017, is the quarterbacks coach in Chicago. The Bears might think they have an inside track to fixing this broken quarterback.
That being said, I can’t see Wentz wanting to enter a dynamic where he could potentially get upstaged by Foles again. So ... maybe the Bears trade Foles back to Philly in a package for Wentz? I’m sure some fans wouldn’t mind seeing that happen.
One thing we didn’t mention is how the Bears are currently projected to be $10.6 million over the cap, according to Over The Cap. Chicago would have to free up some funds to make this deal work. But doing so shouldn’t be prohibitive if they truly want Wentz badly enough.
Also, don’t underestimate Ryan Pace’s desperation when it comes to inadvisable quarterback acquisitions. This is the same general manager who:
1) Signed MIKE GLENNON to a three-year, $45 million contract
2) Traded up for MITCHELL TRUBISKY
3) Traded a fourth-round pick for NICK FOLES coming off a terrible season with the Jaguars
Not exactly the sharpest moves!
If the Bears trade for Wentz, it’s worth noting that their first-round pick is at No. 20 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. One would think the Eagles would require that selection to be part of the deal.
We’ll see if anything becomes of this rumor. It might not take long with the word that a Wentz deal is “close” to coming to fruition.