The Eagles thought they were done making decisions at quarterback when they agreed on a four-year, $128 million extension with Carson Wentz prior to the 2019 season.
Then, they made the shocking decision to draft Jalen Hurts in the second-round of the 2020 NFL Draft — and as a result, they now have a very complicated, expensive, franchise-altering decision to make this offseason.
Where that decision will land them remains to be seen, but one thing is very, very clear — when it comes to deciding between Wentz and Hurts, the Eagles can’t let a bad decision in the past dictate the incredibly important decision about their future.
Yes, it is easy to tell someone else what to do with their money. But the reality is that the Eagles can’t let the singing bonus they paid Wentz dictate what they do with him this offseason. His dead-cap number, roughly $33 million if they trade him, is an expensive one, but it can’t be the main reason the Eagles bring back Wentz as their starter for 2021.
In some ways, it shouldn’t even factor into the decision.
It is pretty simple — the only way Wentz should only be back for the 2021 season is if owner Jeffrey Lurie and (likely) Howie Roseman decide that Wentz gives this team a better chance to win over the next few years than Jalen Hurts (or a rookie quarterback) does. There is perhaps no worse reason to bring back a quarterback than “well, we already paid him.”
The wasted money if they trade Wentz will sting, but as we have witnessed this season, the product on the field could be much-more painful if they let that cap number dictate who is their quarterback.
There is also the risk of doubling-down on Wentz simply to avoid a cap hit. If the Eagles do bring back Wentz it seems pretty clear it will be with a whole-new coaching staff. If they do fire Doug Pederson and decide to keep Wentz, hiring a coaching staff with the specific goal of fixing Wentz is a major risk.
It could work, but if it ends up that Wentz simply isn’t the same player post-injuries, hiring an entire staff for a quarterback that isn’t that good could set the franchise back years.
There is also Hurts’ future to take into consideration. If the contract keeps Wentz in Philadelphia, it will likely mean Hurts is gone. The Eagles, much like they didn’t want to bring Nick Foles back in 2019 to avoid an awkward quarterback room, can’t bring Hurts back in 2021 if he continues to play this well. Hurts won’t want to be back as the backup, Wentz likely won’t want him back, and the team having a quarterback competition in camp is perhaps the worst possible outcome.
Trading Hurts this offseason could end up being disastrous if he proves to be a better quarterback than Wentz, something that is certainly possible given how different the two have looked this season.
The bottom line is that the Eagles have gotten themselves into a mess at the quarterback position. The way out of it isn’t clear.
What is clear is that past money can’t be the main factor in making any decisions about the future.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!