What To Do With Carson Wentz? NFL On CBS' Amy Trask Says Eagles Will Have 'Hard Time Building Around Him With That Contract As It Is'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Three straight losses and the Eagles find themselves in third place in the NFC East. The biggest question, as it has been all season, is what has happened to Carson Wentz? Outside of a late garbage time touchdown to Richard Rodgers Monday night, Wentz completed 24-of-44 passes for 182 yards one touchdown and one interception against what had been the league's worst passing defense in the Seattle Seahawks.
The schedule isn't getting any easier for the Birds this week as they face the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field who are fresh off a 41-25 drubbing of the Chicago Bears on Sunday night. NFL on CBS contributor Amy Trask has one word to describe Wentz's performance this season.
"There's a very technical football term that I learned during my years in the league to describe what I'm seeing from Carson Wentz. That technical term is: yikes," said Trask. "When you watch Carson play it really is a, 'yikes' in so many regards. Sacks, turnovers, really everything. Here we see Carson Wentz going up against one of the premier quarterbacks in the National Football League in Aaron Rodgers."
Despite the poor play from Wentz, the Eagles are still in the hunt for the NFC East making this game meaningful for both sides.
"And it's an important game in all regards even for the Eagles because, to paraphrase Dumb and Dumber, I'm telling you Eagles fans, there's a chance," said Trask. "There is no team in the NFC East with more than four wins so as much as we look at the Eagles and we look at Carson Wentz and we use that technical term, yikes, they're still alive in the NFC East. Of course, going against Aaron Rodgers is going to be a very daunting task."
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If the Eagles were to win Sunday with the Giants losing to Seattle and Washington falling against Pittsburgh on Monday night, the Birds are right back in first place in the East. Lambeau was the site of an improbable victory last season following an 1-2 start, could it be again Sunday? Well, Trask wouldn't count on it.
"I don't know that there's any one thing I can point to that will determine the matchup because right now I don't put Philadelphia in the same discussion as Green Bay and I know you're not doing that either but it's hard to point to one matchup," said Trask. "Yes, we've talked about Carson Wentz, that has just been a downward spiral this season. But Philadelphia has more problems than just Carson Wentz. For Green Bay, they are in the hunt for the one seed in the NFC. New Orleans is more balanced right now both the offense and the defense are performing well. But, I'm never counting out Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. There's a lot to play for for both of these teams this week."
Regardless of the result this week or even in the next five weeks, all eyes are on the future now with this franchise. It appears some serious decision making is on the horizon for the team when it comes to their star quarterback. His contract, set to run through 2024, is going to make him nearly impossible to move, especially considering that there would be a $59 million dead cap hit next season. Trask, the former CEO of the Oakland Raiders, admits the contract will be difficult for the team to build around without some sort of relief.
"I want to throw one wrinkle in the works about Carson's contract. I want to be very clear off the bat, I have not heard a whisper of this I have not heard a hint of this. But, that said, it would not surprise me if the league makes some sort of adjustment next year given the loss of revenues this year with no fans in attendance," said Trask. "Maybe there is some jiggling or juggling or relaxation for a one year period to take some cap hits a team might otherwise not be able to take. Again, I haven't heard a whisper of that, I haven't heard a hint of that. But, it wouldn't surprise me if the league makes some adjustments for cap flexibility next year because the numbers are going to be much lower."
"That said, it is a very cumbersome contract. And to the extent there is no relaxation of the rules, Philadelphia is going to have a hard time building around him with that contract as it is."
If some kind of relief were to be available, it would be interesting to see how the Eagles use it. But, that's a musing and decision for down the road. Fans hope it doesn't get to that point, instead waiting for Wentz to find his old form down the stretch as the team pushes for the playoffs.
The Eagles face the Packers in the CBS Game of the Week this Sunday, December 6 at 4:25 p.m. EST.
