May 15, 2019
ESPN’s top NFL insider Adam Schefter joined 97.5 The Fanatic on Wednesday and dished on what he’s heard about the Eagles’ offseason plans, with four months until the 2019 NFL season begins.
The main takeaway: Schefter believes the Eagles are going to extend franchise quarterback Carson Wentz with a big-time deal before Week 1 kicks off.
You can listen to the full segment at 97.5’s website right here, and here’s Schefter’s main take on the Wentz contract situation:
“My belief is that deal will get done at some point this offseason, before the season begins. They’ll get a deal in place. I think, from everything I’ve gathered, I think the two sides have begun talking. I think that both sides are motivated to get it done. I don’t think they’re close, right now, to getting it done, but when I talk to people around the league who look at that deal, they believe it’s going to get done.
“Now, I think the Eagles, privately, are confident it will get done. They know they’re still working here, and there’s progress to make, but the fact that the two sides have begun their discussions and are talking — we’ll see how this shakes out, but my sense is the Eagles think it’ll get done, and it’s a matter of when they can finish it off and get it together. I think the signs point to that deal getting done this offseason, at some point in time, and they’ll lock up Wentz.
“I don’t know how it’ll shake out in terms of numbers, but the important thing is, for Carson Wentz, he’ll get some guaranteed money with his injury history, and then I think he’ll get another chance at a bite of the apple once this deal that he eventually signs expires.”
That’s about as juicy as you’re going to get for a mid-May radio hit from an NFL insider, so we’ll take it. The fact that the two sides are actively talking and working on the deal is interesting, and would suggest — if the talks don’t hit any bumps — that a deal would come sooner rather than later, perhaps on the eve of training camp, which begins in late July. Over the weekend, a similar report regarding the Eagles QB surfaced, this one from MMQB's Albert Breer.
For reference, the 49ers signed then-27-year-old Jimmy Garoppolo to a five-year, $137 million deal in 2018 before Garoppolo began his first full season with the team. The Raiders signed then-26-year-old Derek Carr to a five-year, $125 million deal in 2017, and the Colts signed then-26-year-old Andrew Luck to a five-year, $122.9 million deal in 2016.
Wentz is currently 26 years old, and will likely get a contract similar to those deals.
Earlier Wednesday, the Bleacher Report's Mike Tanier noted the Eagles currently have the kind of cap room necessary to sign a franchise quarterback-style deal:
That's enough money to, say, sign a long-term QB extension without having to create some weird structure that dumps all the cap pain in 2021 or something. https://t.co/gyDls6i6sK
— Mike Tanier (@MikeTanier) May 15, 2019
As far as Schefter’s other takes are concerned, he also said Eagles fans shouldn’t be concerned about Wentz’s availability come the team’s Week 1 matchup with Washington:
“I don’t think they should be concerned about him being ready for Week 1. And I think if there are any concerns about him being ready for Week 1, I don’t think they would’ve let Nick Foles walk. I really don’t. I think that, somehow, they would’ve found a way, if there were real concerns, to bring him back into the fold.”
The Eagles begin the regular season Sept. 8.
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