The juice isn't worth the squeeze, and the headache simply is no longer worth it.
That, more than value, or saving face, or winning a possible trade, needs to be the guiding thought process as the Eagles potentially try to trade Carson Wentz away from Philadelphia this offseason.
Quick exercise: Try to find one thing written or asked about Wentz since the end of the season that doesn't include the word "fix" somewhere in it. I'll save you the time: You won't be able to do it. Once we all acknowledged what was clear (Wentz was among the worst quarterbacks in the NFL) from the jump in 2020, the next step was trying to put the proverbial humpty dumpty quarterback together again.
Perhaps all of Nick Siranni's horses and all his king's men could try, but we've reached the stage in which the return simply isn't worth the time or money.
Let's forget 2020 for one second. It's what Wentz supporters and believers often ask me to do. So I'll oblige. Let's take an honest look at what Wentz was before to come up with a snapshot of what he possibly could be if fixed for 2021.
Here's where Wentz ranked among his peers over his first four seasons in the NFL.
2016
Completion percentage: 18th
Yards per attempt: 28th
Passer rating: 25th
2017
Completion percentage: 25th
Yards per attempt: 11th
Passer rating: 4th
2018
Completion percentage: 3rd
Yards per attempt: 12th
Passer rating: 7th
2019
Completion percentage: 17th
Yards per attempt: 25th
Passer rating: 13th
What do you get when you add that all together? A pretty good, not great player. High highs, low lows. One outstanding year, and three others that range from poor to good to middle of the pack. On the right team, with the right roster, you could win with that guy. We know it because we saw it happen in front of our eyes.
But that was all buoyed by a rookie contract, making Wentz one of the cheapest quarterbacks in the NFL. Wentz's play could perhaps return to a decent level, but his contract never will in Philadelphia. The calculus on rehabilitating him can't simply be about making him the 2019 version of himself because that ignores the truth about his deal and the salary cap: The 2019 version of Wentz wouldn't be worth close to the $34M he's owed next season or the combined $99M-plus on the books for 2022-2024.
Even if Wentz returns to being a decent player, there's simply no way to put the right kind of talent needed around him due to his contract. The Eagles paid a pretty good player as if he was a great one, and now have watched that pretty good player become a bad one. It's the worst possible NFL quarterback formula.
Then, of course, there's the aspect of timing when it comes to an eventual Wentz exit. Sure, the Eagles could slow play this and bring Wentz back for 2021. In theory, there's no harm in letting a quarterback competition play out. If Wentz is magically fixed by a new staff, great! If not, just cut him (when it would be more palatable) next offseason.
Except that logic carries bad money for longer than it has to on the Eagles salary cap. If the idea of 2021 as a rebuilding Eagles season is an accepted reality, trading Wentz ASAP would result in a $34M cap hit now. But it would clear every single dollar of his deal off the books for 2022 and beyond. If the Eagles choose to wait to trade Wentz until after the third day of the new league year or summer or cut him after next season, they risk carrying part of Wentz's salary for both 2021 and 2022. Patience can hurt, and a lack of conviction can make the team suffer for longer.
Then there's the locker room worries, a potential split group when a quarterback competition arrives in summer, and drama for a first-year head coach to have to navigate. Dismiss Wentz's personality quirks all you want, but the guy sure seems like a headache to coach without the kind play that makes it all worthwhile.
"Fixing" Wentz can't just be about hope. It has to be worth it, both on the field and the salary cap sheet. Perhaps for a team like the Indianapolis Colts or Denver Broncos (of which Wentz would cost less after a trade due to the Eagles paying contract bonuses), the potential reward of Wentz would outweigh the risk.
That reality no longer exists for the Eagles, and it has to be how potential trade talks are viewed by Howie Roseman and Jeff Lurie before the start of the new league year.
