NEWSLETTER
In what once felt like an inevitability a week ago, a Carson Wentz trade has been stopped in its tracks.
There are any number of reasons one can point to as to why things haven’t come together as planned. The Eagles overplaying their hand by overvaluing their trade asset, failed usage of public negotiations, Wentz’s rumored preference for Indy, and other things have played into the non-movement. And ultimately, what has been a two-horse race between the Bears and Colts could be whittling down:
At this point the Eagles are just negotiating with the Colts. It's the difference on the back end. Eagles trying to get that 2nd 2 instead of a 3rd/4th conditional. Chicago is out. Been wrong before but feels like we are winding down talks.
— eytan (@shandershow) February 16, 2021
Eytan Shander of the Philly Voice hears the Bears are out on the Carson Wentz sweepstakes. To be clear, this isn’t a firm OUT. Shander hedges by noting he’s been led astray in the past. But after failing to drum up interest elsewhere, it makes sense that trade discussions are winding down. Moreover, it makes sense for it to come down to Philadelphia maximizing the return from the team that happens to be Wentz’s preferred spot.
If the Bears are truly out on Wentz, then this would represent a shift in thinking after yesterday’s buzz. Because the perception around this time on Monday was that the Bears were the front-runners in this derby. And maybe they were at the time. But if Wentz needed convincing, and that wasn’t happening, and it led to the Bears growing impatient, then their departure from talks makes sense.
Again, I don’t want to oversell the idea that the Bears are out. This whole endeavor has been a fluid situation. However, this feels like it has been drawn out long enough. So long, it’s fair to wonder if the Bears are less likely to be where Wentz lands. Because if the Bears were desperate to make a deal happen and the Eagles were equally desperate to get Wentz off their hands, they wouldn’t necessarily care about Wentz’s preferences. Instead, this looks like Philly trying to strike a balance between doing the best for the team and right by the player.
In the end, we’ll stay tuned to this situation as it develops. Because it feels like we’re hitting a crossroads where someone has to do something.
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