Philadelphia Eagles: Howie Roseman won the Carson Wentz trade

*sigh* here we go.

After finally feeling free from the drama surrounding Carson Wentz, the Philadelphia Eagles will have to relive the drama of the last 18 months at least twice more this year. Why? Well, because the Washington Commanders – yes, that’s still their name – just traded for the Wentz Wagon just a little under a year after he was traded from Philadelphia to Indianapolis.

That’s right, for the price of a third round pick this year and a third round pick in 2023 that could become a second if Wentz plays at least 70 percent of his team’s offensive snaps, Frank Reich and company have moved off of a player they once lauded despite having no clear plan to replace him.

What’s that old Bill Belichick saying? (It’s) better off being early than late at quarterback? If that’s the case, Howie Roseman looks borderline prophetic.

The Philadelphia Eagles clearly won the Carson Wentz trade.

On (almost) the one-year anniversary of the Carson Wentz trade between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Indianapolis Colts, where does each team stand?

Well, both teams finished out the 2021 season with identical records – though the Eagles made the playoffs – both had very strong running games, and both entered the offseason with at least some questions about their quarterback position.

The biggest difference? Well, the Eagles opted to keep Jalen Hurts in place as their quarterback for the 2022 season, and the Colts moved off of Wentz at a steep discount from what they paid one season prior.

Followed close behind has to be the draft capital associated with the two trades in question. While some knocked Howie Roseman for not getting a “real” first round pick for Wentz on that mid-March day, he used the third round pick acquired in the 2021 NFL Draft to trade up with the Cowboys to draft DeVonta Smith 10th overall – a decision that aged very well – and now have the 16th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft from which to land another blue chip prospect.

And as for the Colts? Well, as things presently stand, the team has $69 million in cap space, no first round pick, and only two quarterbacks, Sam Ehlinger and James Morgan, under contract heading into 2022. While that is certainly not the worst position of any team in the NFL and this year’s free agent quarterback class has nine players – Tyrod Taylor, Marcus Mariota, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Cam Newton, Teddy Bridgewater, Andy Dalton, Jamis Winston, Mitch Trubisky, and Jacoby Brissett – with recent starting experience, none are the same level of slam dunk the Colts thought they landed when they initially acquired Wentz one year ago.

Yes, Brissett has experience in the Colts/Reich sphere, but he isn’t a top-32 quarterback in the NFL and would at best be a competent game manager paired up with Jonathan Taylor. Is that what the Colts want? Maybe the team got a bit too shell-shocked by the rollercoaster ride colloquially known as “Carson Wentz: QB1,” and would simply like a quarterback who can take care of business against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a win-and-get-in Week 17 bout? Brissett – or Bridgewater, or even Fitzpatrick – can certainly do that as a year-to-year stopgap, but none of those options save Winston and maybe Trubisky have “starting quarterback” upside.

Could one of the picks the Colts secured for Wentz’s services ultimately prove to be a generational talent? You bet that is certainly possible, but on a super macro level, trading a third round pick and a first round pick for two third round picks and one disappointing year is a borderline admission of a poor business decision.

For the Indianapolis Colts, Carson Wentz was supposed to be the guy. The entire franchise buzzed when he was brought to town, Frank Reich gushed about his favorite former pupil, and despite his on-field struggles, the team remained steadfast about allowing him to start even if it cost them a first round pick. But now? Now, their quarterback future is very much up in the air, and they owe their top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Philadelphia Eagles. While I’m sure more than a few Colts fans are stoked to move on, that discrepancy on price will sting for years to come.