PHILADELPHIA — Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz will be a healthy scratch in Sunday night’s season finale against the Washington Football Team, NFL Media reported Sunday.
Wentz would be inactive for non-injury reasons for the first time in his career. He served as the No. 2 quarterback behind rookie Jalen Hurts for the past three games, though he didn’t take a snap in any of those games.
Wentz’s place on the inactive list means that Nate Sudfeld, who has been inactive for the past 14 weeks after backing up Wentz in the season opener, will back up Hurts as the No. 2 quarterback.
It’s an interesting subplot to a potentially dramatic situation this offseason.
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ESPN reported Wentz’s relationship with Eagles coach Doug Pederson is “fractured beyond repair,” and the 28-year-old is expected to request a trade this offseason.
“The Eagles are aware of this potential development, but a team source told ESPN that the organization’s asking price for Wentz will be significant for the quarterback it selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft,” ESPN’s Chris Mortensen wrote.
Multiple outlets reported Saturday that Pederson is expected to return as coach for the 2021 season, though he has a meeting with team owner Jeffrey Lurie scheduled for Tuesday to discuss the season and the future. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will not return in 2021, according to reports Saturday.
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Pederson has maintained publicly that he is confident that he can help get Wentz back on track, and he viewed that as one of his top jobs this offseason. There have been reports in the past few weeks that have said both that Wentz wants out of Philadelphia if Hurts remains the starter and that the Eagles want to keep Wentz in Philadelphia, no matter what happens.
Wentz’s four-year contract extension worth $128 million kicks in this offseason, which could make the quarterback tricky to move in a trade. According to ESPN, though, Wentz might be amenable toward helping his exit.
“If it is determined that the relationship between Wentz and Pederson is indeed beyond repair, the plan will have to account for some salary-cap maneuvers,” Mortensen wrote. “Wentz and his representatives are willing to work with general manager Howie Roseman to facilitate a move out of Philadelphia, league sources told ESPN.”
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Both the ESPN report and an NFL Media report mention the Colts as a potential destination. The Indianapolis coach is Frank Reich, who was the Eagles offensive coordinator in 2016 and 2017.
Another NFL Media report also said the Eagles “still think this situation is salvageable.” ProFootballTalk reported Sunday that the Eagles think Wentz “can be repaired.”
There is plenty of dust that needs to settle in the coming days, weeks and months.
Wentz was one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL in 2020. He completed 57.4% of his passes for 2,620 yards, 16 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a 72.8 passer rating. He was sacked 50 times, and he was ultimately benched in the third quarter of the loss at the Packers in Week 13.
The Eagles and Washington are scheduled to kick off at 8:20 p.m. Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
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Daniel Gallen covers the Philadelphia Eagles for PennLive. He can be reached at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Follow PennLive’s Philadelphia Eagles coverage on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
