The Philadelphia Eagles hired coach Nick Sirianni, in part, because they hoped he could fix quarterback Carson Wentz. But that hasn’t stopped the franchise from listening to inquires about Wentz’s availability on the trade market.
The NFL Network reported Thursday that teams around the league have called the Eagles to gauge their interest in trading Wentz — and Philadelphia is listening. The network added Philadelphia, as of now, has no plans to trade Wentz.
The second overall pick in 2016, Wentz was once seen as one of the league’s best young quarterbacks but his performance dramatically declined last season. Wentz completed a career-low 57.4% of his passes, throwing for just 16 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. He was benched Week 13 for rookie Jalen Hurts, who was impressive down the stretch.
With Hurts’ rise, teams have wondered if Wentz could be traded. Despite the quarterback’s poor season, The Ringer’s Kevin Clark reported that NFL talent evaluators remain high on Wentz’s potential.
Wentz, however, won’t be easy to trade. The 28-year-old signed a four-year, $128 million contract extension in June 2019 and because of the deal, Philadelphia would absorb $33.8 million in dead money on next year’s cap sheet if Wentz is traded.
Wentz was reportedly upset with the way the 2020 season unfolded, clashing with then-coach Doug Pederson. Pederson was fired after the year, leading the Eagles to hire Sirianni.
A number of teams are in the market for a new quarterback this offseason.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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