The ball is in Carson Wentz’s court now.
While there were obviously other reasons for the Eagles’ dismissal of Doug Pederson after a 4-11-1 season in 2020, it was clear the relationship between Pederson and Wentz was damaged and there were even reports that it was irreparable.
So maybe it’s not necessarily true that the Eagles simply chose Wentz over Pederson, but in a way they did. Because only one of them is still here.
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And then on top of that, the Eagles hired a head coaching candidate who might be able to fix the franchise quarterback.
But here’s the thing. That only works if Wentz buys in.
I understand that Wentz has gone through a lot during his five years in Philadelphia. I understand that — for whatever reason — his relationship with Pederson had become a problem. And I understand that it might not be the easiest thing in the world to overcome the injuries, the drama and the benching and still continue his career in Philly.
There’s one thing Wentz has to understand, though: The Eagles chose him. They’ve always chosen him.
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They chose him with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft after they traded up to get there, they helped him become an MVP candidate, they kept him as the focal point of the organization even after his backup became the Super Bowl MVP, they gave him a $128 million extension and then they even waited 11 1/2 games to bench him in 2020 despite his regression to one of the league’s worst quarterbacks.
Did the Eagles make a mistake by drafting Jalen Hurts? I sure think so. But it’s also time for Wentz to get over that too.
Because it even emerged during this coaching search that the Eagles reportedly favored candidates who preferred Wentz over Hurts.
Even after all the damage that’s been done and all the drama that has surrounded Wentz in recent seasons, the Eagles reportedly made Wentz an integral part of their coaching search. Financial implications or not, that’s significant.
And if Wentz still decides to request a trade after all that, then the Eagles have to honor it. Because at that point, they shouldn’t want him.
Before Wentz makes a concrete decision as to whether or not he’ll request a trade, he needs to sit down with new head coach, Nick Sirianni, and the top offensive assistants on his upcoming staff and really try to figure out if he can make this work. Wentz needs to go into that meeting with an open mind, willing to listen, willing to share, willing to find some common ground to move forward with the organization that has invested so heavily in him for five years.
Wentz will also need to admit he needs to improve. He’ll need to be accountable. He was far from the only problem with the Eagles last year; his OL struggled and his receivers didn’t help. But Wentz has to take ownership for his own shortcomings. He’s supposed to be a franchise quarterback and he didn’t play like it in 2020.
The Eagles are doing all they can, including hiring Sirianni, to try to get him back to playing like that franchise quarterback in the future.
I don’t know if the plan will work. But I do know that the only chance it has is for Wentz to buy in.
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