Grading the Carson Wentz Trade

Carson Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a conditional 2nd round pick in 2022 and a 3rd round pick in 2021. The Colts receive Carson Wentz and his rather large contract. Carson Wentz finally got what he wanted in a trade out of Philadelphia to reunite with Frank Reich and the Eagles are entering the rebuild. In this article, we’ll break down the grades that each side deserves for their part in the trade.

Indianapolis Colts: B

The Indianapolis Colts have been in a quarterback carousel the last several years since the surprise retirement of Andrew Luck. Rivers was only a temporary placeholder and the Colts knew that. The Colts have a top-tier defense and the biggest piece missing from them making a deep run in the 2020 playoffs was poor quarterback play and lack of receiving weapons. The Colts simply replaced one pocket passer with another but with a worse QBR. The former #2 overall pick and former MVP candidate has not looked like his old self but that is not all his fault. The Eagles offensive line has been subpar and the lack of any quality receivers with no run game hasn’t given Wentz much to work with. That isn’t going to change much with Indianapolis but Jonathan Taylor is an upgrade at running back and the Colts young core has promise. Wentz is looking to revitalize his career with Indianapolis and this was a smart move for the Colts rather than trading up in the draft or going with someone who is inexperienced. The Colts have to deal with a large contract and had to give up 2 decent picks, but it could work out in their favor. The Colts earn a respectable B for this trade.

Philadelphia Eagles: C

The fact that the Eagles got to this point is sad to even think about it. Wentz and management clashed leading to the fallout of yet another quarterback in the league. It was time for the Eagles to move on from Wentz, but the fact they only got 2 picks and one of the picks has the chance to be a 1st round on condition that Wentz plays 75% of snaps or 70% of snaps and Colts make the playoffs is not ideal for the Eagles. The Lions received a huge haul for Stafford, although Stafford is much better than Wentz, the quarterback market is in high demand, yet they were only able to get what they got for a former #2 overall pick. The Eagles are entering the rebuild with what looks like Hurts under center without a strong offensive line, lack of receiving threat, and an average backfield. The Eagles don’t have the capital that the Browns or Dolphins had with their hefty rebuilds and this could be a daunting one for years to come in the lowly NFC East. The Eagles will also have to deal with a huge chunk of dead cap space from Wentz’s contract. The Eagles are going to be paying a pretty penny for someone who isn’t even on their team anymore and they had a hard time finding a suitor to take him on. The Eagles get a C for the fact they were able to salvage something out of Wentz and with the strong likelihood that the conditional pick will end up being a 1st rounder.