Is Howie Roseman thinking straight about Carson Wentz contract extension?
Not that he has much choice at this point, but Eagles general manager Howie Roseman wouldn’t hesitate to sign Carson Wentz long-term.
Over the last two seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles have won a Super Bowl and then nearly won two playoff games with Nick Foles under center. But even with injuries ending each of those two seasons early, it’s always been clear Carson Wentz is the quarterback until further notice.
As of mid-April, Wentz was still not considered fully recovered from last year’s back injury. He’s expected to participate in OTAs though, and full clearance for training camp is a foregone conclusion.
The Eagles made the no-brainer move to pick up Wentz’s fifth-year option last week, effectively locking him for a fully guaranteed from all angles (including for injury) $22.78 million in 2020. That buys some time to work on a contract extension, as Wentz is one of the next quarterbacks in line for a new deal.
Despite the obvious durability concerns, Eagles’ general manager Howie Roseman has made plans regarding an extension for Wentz pretty clear. During an appearance on WIP in Philadelphia Tuesday, he made it clearly public again.
https://twitter.com/SportsRadioWIP/status/1125757943813636096
The Eagles would surely like to see Wentz make it through a full 16 games, and any subsequent playoff run, without injury before making a long-term commitment for the kind of money the market will bear. But barring a complete disaster in either of the next two seasons, perhaps driven by Wentz not being able to stay on the field, they won’t be in position to draft any of the top quarterbacks in the next two draft classes.
With Foles gone, Nate Sudfeld, Luis Perez and rookie Clayton Thorson make up the depth chart behind Wentz right now. So if he were to miss time again in 2019, losses would almost certainly pile up quickly in what would likely take the shape of a de facto tank-job.
Next. 8 potential NFL salary cap casualties. dark
A surface commitment to Wentz is easily expected, and the proof may eventually come via whatever the right long-term deal winds up being. But at this point, with few (if any) good or obvious alternatives to even think about, Roseman and the Eagles don’t have any choice but to convey their belief in Wentz as the quarterback of the present and future.