Things have hit the fan. According to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, the Eagles have begun fielding trade offers for Carson Wentz. And on Friday morning, a report surfaced that the Eagles have already received an, “aggressive offer” for the 2017 Pro-Bowler.
With that in mind, the burning question raised by many media members (both national and locally) and fans alike is: What are teams willing to give up for Wentz?/What will the Eagles get back? Looking at NFL history, teams have historically traded first and/or second round picks for starting caliber quarterbacks.
- Honorable Mention: Would you believe the Eagles have been down this road before, as the receiver of the starting quarterback though. In 1958, Philadelphia sent the number 2 overall pick, 3-Time-Pro Bowler Nick Bass, starting LT Buck Lansford, and starting defensive back Jimmy Harris for Norm Van Brocklin.
The most similar situation went down in 2010 between Carson Palmer and the Cincinnati Bengals. Palmer was the first pick in the 2003 NFL draft. In the 03-04 season, Palmer had a satisfactory rookie year, in which he threw for 2.897 yards, 18 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Palmer then followed up his satisfactory rookie year with an MVP-esque second year (sound similar?). Palmer threw for 3,836 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Palmer also completed 67.8% of his passes. With the exception of passing yards, all were career bests for Palmer. During the 2005 playoffs, the Bengals signed Palmer to a six-year extension. This extension was to a contract that would’ve expired in 2008, so it ran through 2014. The plan was for Palmer to be the franchise quarterback the Bengals had dreamed of (again, sound similar?) So, what happened?
After his breakout year in 2004-05, Palmer never reached that height again in his time in Cincinnati. In fact, Palmer struggled mightily, throwing 20 interceptions in two seperate seasons and compiling a record of 29-39 as a starter. In his last year with the Bengals (2010), Palmer was 3rd in the NFL in interceptions thrown. After the 2010 season, Palmer met with Bengals brass and officially requested a trade. Palmer even semi-retired after being told the Bengals weren’t going to deal him.
The fiasco even bled over into the regular season. Palmer reportedly told management that he’d never set foot in the Bengals home stadium again. Everything came to a head in October of 2011. Palmer was traded to the Raiders for traded a 2012 first-round pick and a conditional second-rounder in 2013 that could’ve become another first if Oakland made it to the AFC title game in either of the next two years after the trade (they didn’t).
Wentz riff with the organization is said to be real, but it hasn’t reached the level of Palmer’s with the Bengals (yet). But, it is widely known that there is a riff. The Eagles have said all along that the plan is to “fix” Wentz and that they still believe in him as their franchise QB, but with the report from Rappaport and Garafolo, that raises some questions as to the level of truth to those sentiments.
Other notable trades of starting QBs/trade compensation include:
- Jay Cutler to Chicago for two first-round picks, a third and Kyle Orton
- Matt Cassel to Kansas City for a second rounder
- Eagles trade Sam Bradford to Minnesota for first and fourth round picks
- Patriots trade Jimmy Garappolo for a second round pick
- Rams trade Jared Goff, two first round picks, and a third round pick for Matthew Stafford
- There is also the other end of the spectrum. An example of this is seen through the Ryan Tannehill trade in which the Dolphins got back fourth-round pick and a seventh-round pick for Tannehill and a sixth-round pick. Of course, Tannehill never displayed the level of talent/production Wentz has.
In the end, teams are desperate for starting quarterbacks. Teams will give up a lot if they deem the QB worth. There’s evidence of it from the past all the way to current day. Any trade involving Carson Wentz will come down to the value that the opposing team places on Wentz. Do they put more stock into his 2020 tape or 2017 tape. Do think everything he’s shown since 2017 is that of a franchise quarterback? Are they willing to part with premium draft capital for that? Only time will tell.
Prediction: Wentz is traded for a first and third round pick
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