Philadelphia Eagles: Carson Wentz’s contract suddenly looks like a bargain
The Philadelphia Eagles extended Carson Wentz at the right time.
Hey Philadelphia Eagles fans, have you heard the news? Patrick Mahomes just got paid.
The deal, worth a reported $503 million with $477 million guaranteed according to Ian Rapaport, is the richest contract ever paid out to a professional athlete regardless of position, sport, or country. It also guarantees Andy Reid will all but surely have his handpicked protégé under contract for the rest of his professional coaching career, as the extension runs through 2031, when Mahomes will be 35 and Big Red will be 73.
But do you know who this deal really looks good for? Carson Wentz.
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I know, I know, ‘Carson Wentz isn’t as good as Nick Foles, let alone Patrick Mahomes’ I get it but with the Cheifs’ deal now done he’s suddenly become the proud owner of the seventh-richest contract in the NFL. Stuck behind everyone from Mahomes and Russell Wilson to Jared Goff and Ben Roethlisberger, Wentz’s $128 million deal no longer looks like a potential albatross around the Eagles’ neck that could tank their hopes of contention forever.
No, when you look at Wentz’s 2019 numbers in the context of his paltry receiving corps, his current contract actually looks about right when compared to his on-field production. Heck, once Dak Prescott and Deshaun Watson receive their extensions in the next year or so, Wentz’s deal will look more and more like a bargain – that is, until he becomes eligible for another extension a few years down the line.
Sidebar: Can you imagine how upset Jerry Jones must have been when he saw Patrick Mahomes’ new contract? That, my friends, is why you don’t play hardball with a franchise quarterback over a few million a year.
While some will point to Wentz’s very well-publicized injury history as a reason to be leery about his ability to hold up for the duration of his current deal, with only five years to go before his deal expires after the 2024 season, it’s hard to place that solely on the 27-year-old’s shoulders. Heck, based on the deal Howie Roseman carefully crafted, the Eagles could in theory get out of Wentz’s deal as soon as 2022, with increasing cap savings in each subsequent season.
But, assuming health, that probably isn’t going to happen. If Wentz’s 2020 offseason is of any indication, the 27-year-old has rapidly silenced any doubters over whether or not he can be a leader of men. From speaking out against racism, to scheduling work out sessions with his new wide receivers, and even delivering an impassioned message of hope on the Fourth of July, Wentz has proven once and for all that the Birds’ decision to draft Jalen Hurts may actually just be to serve as an offensive weapon/backup quarterback after all.
Really, what more could a team ask from their $128 million man?
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Ultimately, is any quarterback really worth $45 million a season? Debatable, but in our current capitalistic system, a player is only worth how much the market is willing to pay, and by paying Carson Wentz an average of $13 million less per season than Patrick Mahomes, Howie Roseman can build a better Philadelphia Eagles team around his 27-year-old franchise quarterback. Really, what more could you ask for?