Carson Wentz Traded To Colts: Reports

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Carson Wentz era in Philadelphia is over. The man thought to be the franchise quarterback and cornerstone of the Eagles future was dealt to the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, according to multiple media reports.

In return, the Eagles will receive a 2021 third round draft pick, as well as a 2022 second round draft pick that could become a first round pick if Wentz plays in 75 percent or more of snaps next season, ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Mike Garafolo have separately confirmed. If Wentz plays in 70 percent or more of snaps and the Colts make the playoffs, the pick would also become a first rounder.

Rumors about Wentz's future have swirled since early in the 2020 season, which was disastrous for both Wentz and the Eagles. Wentz, who had flashed high level potential until last season and put together a memorable MVP-level campaign in 2017, struggled mightily through the first 12 weeks of the season before being benched. The ensuing cloud of media reports over his rift with head coach Doug Pederson, and the franchise itself, would never disperse.

The news cannot be officially confirmed or commented upon by the Eagles or Colts until the start of the league year on March 17. Links to reports of the deal were shared by official Eagles social media pages Thursday.

The Birds will now turn to Jalen Hurts, who had a promising rookie campaign when he officially took the reigns from Wentz last December.

It's the second major move made by the Eagles this offseason, after firing Super Bowl champion Pederson in early January, and hiring former Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni just over a week later.

Wentz was drafted, amid much fanfare, with the second overall pick in the 2016 draft. The Eagles spent six draft picks and two players across two different trades to acquire that pick. Though often injured, there were few questions about his talent, and things looked bright from the get-go. He played a huge role in the first 10 weeks of Eagles' 13-3 2017 season.

And even after Nick Foles led the team to its first Super Bowl in franchise history, the Birds were dogged in their faith in Wentz, giving him a four year, $128 million contract extension in 2019.

But Wentz never managed to stay consistently healthy, nor recover his 2017 form while in south Philadelphia. Things soured amid a brutal 2020 campaign, during which his relationship with Pederson was reportedly fractured. Ultimately, the Eagles chose to move on from both coach and quarterback.

Rumors had swirled in recent weeks that the Eagles might be shipping Wentz to the Chicago Bears, and receive Foles back as part of the packaged return. However, that never materialized, with NFL Insider Adam Caplan indicating the Bears pulled out of trade talks in recent days.

The Birds finished last in the NFC East in 2020 with a 4-11-1 record. The Birds will pick sixth overall in this spring's NFL Draft, their highest pick since they drafted Wentz.