Relax, the Silence is Just…Silence
What does Carson Wentz want? This topic seems to be on the minds of many Philadelphia and national media outlets. We have not heard from Carson Wentz since he was benched in Green Bay. He remained the backup for the remainder of the season and then politely declined to speak with the media following the conclusion of the Birds dreadful 2020. This wasn’t too surprising, Wentz was clearly unhappy with how the season played out, was frustrated with Doug Pederson, and was right in the middle of another quarterback controversy, his second in his short career. Some fans were frustrated that Wentz didn’t stop rumors that he wanted to be traded by coming out and saying he wanted to be in Philly, now some fans are frustrated he didn’t say thank you to Pederson on his way out or a welcome to new coach Nick Sirianni when he was hired. Ultimately, some fans are just frustrated at the 2020 season of Carson Wentz and are looking for anything and everything to criticize the quarterback about, including saying absolutely nothing.
The fact is it makes sense for Wentz to keep quiet until the Eagles figure out what their next move is at the quarterback position. New head coach Nick Sirianni and his staff may look at the situation and think that an open competition during the offseason is the best approach to finding the right starting quarterback or they may choose their quarterback before the new league year starts and be able to trade (or at least use as trade bait) the quarterback that the team deems to be the backup. Either way, what good will it do for Carson Wentz to come out and tell us what he is thinking and exactly what he wants. The NFL is different than the NBA, if a player does request a trade, it does not have to be honored and NFL players are far less likely to hold the team’s feet to the fire because their money is not fully guaranteed. The team is in control. Obviously, a team does not want a disgruntled quarterback but with a new coaching staff and the apparent support from Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie, it seems that the Eagles want to bring Wentz back this season, regardless of whether it is because of the money they owe him or his potential.
Now the question becomes, why doesn’t Wentz come out and say he wants to be here and that he is excited to get to work with Nick Sirianni? Honestly, as long as he is communicating with the Eagles, that’s all that matters. He does not owe the fans an explanation about how much he wants to play for the Eagles because the Eagles haven’t exactly given him a bode of confidence either. Sirianni said at his opening press conference that he hasn’t given the quarterback position much thought and is excited to work with two top-notch quarterbacks. He also said more recently that there would be an open competition at every position on the team, and that competition is at the core of Sirianni’s philosophy. Wentz, like fans, has no idea what his future holds in Philadelphia right now.
Ultimately, the Eagles have to make a decision about Wentz. Wentz doesn’t have much of a choice when it comes to the Eagles, either they will choose to keep him as the starter/competition or the Eagles will attempt to trade him this offseason. It makes little to no sense for Wentz to make a statement now that could hurt him for the future one way or the other.
Most likely, Wentz will remain silent until the Eagles make a decision. Birds’ fans are going to have to wait for a decision before hearing from their *potential* franchise quarterback. It may be frustrating but it makes the most sense for Wentz and honestly, the most sense for the Eagles as well, to let the situation play itself out.
Whatever decision the Eagles make, it’s going to be a long offseason, let’s pace ourselves.
Feature Photo: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
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Categorized:Eagles