:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68781028/1039468962.0.jpg)
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen, the Indianapolis Colts are among the suitors that have expressed interest in former Philadelphia Eagles franchise quarterback Carson Wentz—who’s recently been made available in trade discussions:
“Among the teams that have expressed some level of interest in Wentz are the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts, sources told ESPN, although other teams also have called to gauge the market and see what a package for the Eagles quarterback would look like.”
However, per Schefter and Mortensen, the asking price is reportedly still very high:
“The Eagles are said to be looking for, in the words of one well-placed source, ‘a Matthew Stafford package’ in return for Wentz. The Lions traded Stafford to the Rams last weekend for a third-round pick this year, two future first-round picks and quarterback Jared Goff, the player selected directly in front of Wentz as the top two picks in the 2016 NFL draft.”
A steep asking price that has roughly been reported by other league sources as well:
Eagles are asking for two 1s for Carson Wentz, which has led to some dial tones, including from one team previously perceived to be a favored landing spot.
— Greg A. Bedard (@GregABedard) February 6, 2021
The Eagles' initial asking price for Carson Wentz was an equivalent of the return that the Lions got for Matthew Stafford, per several sources involved. They'll get less than that. How much less is the question.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 7, 2021
But that it's negotiable shows they're ready to deal him.
However, given what we know about Colts general manager Chris Ballard and how he prudently operates, it’s highly unlikely that Indianapolis gives in to such a high—and arguably ludicrous asking price by the Eagles right now.
Considering that Wentz hasn’t been very productive for about three seasons now and was most recently, downright dreadful in 2020—with some big salary cap hits coming up and questions regarding his coachability:
Guessing this was the Colts
— Connor Rogers (@ConnorJRogers) February 6, 2021
Was pretty well known Reich was interested in Wentz, but they have a smart front office that would prob find this asking price absurd https://t.co/q2PZwP7hqx
I know of one team that laughed at the Eagles asking price of a Jay Cutler type deal--Two number ones and three. We shall see if any team is dumb enough to compete in that asking price market.
— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) February 6, 2021
Especially, when considering A) Ballard’s love of draft picks and his continued trust in his scouting department to continue to find and select top talent and B) the fact that he just made these very same comments on Friday afternoon:
“There’s a fine line between being aggressive and desperate. We are not going to operate in a desperate world,” said Colts general manager Chris Ballard on 107.5 The Fan’s ‘The Dan Dakich Show’. “That’s what the world does. That’s what Twitter does. That’s what people do. They operate in a desperation world. No, we’re not going to operate in that world.”
“We’ll be aggressive when we need to be aggressive.”
It doesn’t mean that Carson Wentz cannot be a Colt by any means, but it does mean that it’s going to be much more on Indianapolis’ own terms—and at a presumably much more diminished final price tag than the exorbitant Eagles’ asking one currently being reported by reputable league sources.
Carson Wentz is expected to be traded soon, but unless the Eagles’ current asking price significantly decreases, it most likely (and logically) won’t be to the Colts—from what we already know.