Trading Carson Wentz was a move that altered the Philadelphia Eagles franchise, putting the organization in a transition period as the team moved on from one of the key components of their Super Bowl LII championship roster. Moving on from a franchise quarterback isn’t easy, even if Wentz demonstrated he wasn’t the same player the Eagles drafted with the No. 2 overall pick back in 2016.
Wentz asked to be traded and the Eagles granted that request. General manager Howie Roseman wasn’t going to give Wentz away, especially with four years owed on a massive contract extension he agreed to in 2019. The contract looked to be untradeable (in terms of getting solid compensation) with Wentz having a poor 2020 season where he was one of the worst quarterbacks in football.
Roseman arguably pulled off his best-ever deal when trading Wentz — and he’s made some good ones — using that trade to facilitate a series of moves that have set the Eagles up to build a Super Bowl-contending roster.
The future of the Eagles looked bleak when they dealt Wentz in February of 2021. With second-round pick Cooper DeJean becoming one of the final pieces of the Wentz trade, here’s a look back at the Wentz deal — with all the assets that it has turned into.
The Wentz trade
Colts receive: Carson Wentz
Eagles receive: 2021 third-round pick and 2022 conditional first-round pick
The Eagles received a conditional first-round pick from the Colts in the deal, with some parameters. Philadelphia received the 2022 first-round pick from the Colts if Wentz:
- Played 75% of the snaps in 2021, or
- Played 70% of the snaps in 2021 and the Colts made the playoffs
Wentz reached the 75% threshold in December of that 2021 season, so the pick became a first-round selection from Indianapolis. If Wentz didn’t reach any of those parameters, the pick would have been a 2022 second-round selection. The Eagles ended up receiving the 16th overall pick from the Colts.
In short, the Eagles received a 2022 first-round pick (No. 16 overall) and a 2021 third-round pick (No. 84 overall) from the Colts for Wentz. Before the Eagles even received the 2022 first-round pick for Wentz, Roseman had parted ways with the third-round pick.
Eagles receive: 2021 first-round pick (No. 10)
Cowboys receive: 2021 first-round pick (No. 12), 2021 third-round pick (No. 84)
Roseman used that 2021 third-round pick from the Colts to help the Eagles move up in the draft and select a No. 1 wide receiver for Jalen Hurts — who earned the starting quarterback job after Wentz was dealt. The Eagles traded their 2021 first-round pick (No. 12 overall) and that Colts’ third-round pick (No. 84) to the Dallas Cowboys — moving up two spots and selecting DeVonta Smith at No. 10 overall.
Smith has 240 catches for 3,178 yards and 19 touchdowns in his three NFL seasons, two of which he’s been the No. 2 wide receiver to A.J. Brown (who has the two highest single-season receiving yards totals in franchise history). Smith is 18th in receptions, 17th in receiving yards and 21st in receiving touchdowns over the last three seasons. He’s fourth in the 2021 draft class in receptions and receiving yards and third in touchdowns.
In Eagles franchise history, Smith has the most catches and receiving yards for any player in their first three seasons in the league. He’s tied for fourth in touchdown catches, while joining DeSean Jackson and Mike Quick as the only wideouts to have two 1,000-yard seasons within their first three years in the league.
Smith is off to the greatest start for an Eagles wide receiver in franchise history. He also signed a three-year, $75 million contract extension that will keep him in Philadelphia through the 2028 season.
Eagles receive: 2022 sixth-round pick
Colts receive: Matt Pryor, 2022 seventh-round pick
The Eagles made a minor trade with the Colts prior to the 53-man roster deadline in August of 2021– one that eventually would tie into the Wentz deal. Philadelphia dealt veteran guard/tackle Matt Pryor and a 2022 seventh-round pick to the Colts (No. 240) in exchange for a 2022 sixth-round pick (No. 194).
That minor trade played a major role in the Eagles landing a No. 1 wide receiver, as well as premium draft capital in 2023 and 2024.
Getting a first-round pick from the Saints
Eagles receive: 2022 first-round pick (No. 18), 2022 third-round pick (No. 101), 2022 seventh-round pick (No. 237), 2023 first-round pick, 2024 second-round pick
Saints receive: 2022 first-round pick (No. 16), 2022 first-round pick (No. 19), 2022 sixth-round pick (No. 194)
The Eagles entered the offseason with three first-round picks: No. 15 (from the Miami Dolphins), No. 16 (from the Colts in the Wentz deal) and No. 19 (their own). There were plenty of assets for Roseman to facilitate a trade if he wanted to acquire a star player or get future draft capital for 2023 and beyond.
The Saints were the dance partner Roseman was seeking, as he approached New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis about acquiring one of his first-round picks. The Eagles and Saints didn’t take long to strike a deal.
The Eagles used the first-round pick they acquired from the Colts in the Wentz deal (No. 16) and the sixth-round pick they acquired in the Pryor deal (No. 194) to get future draft capital in 2023 and 2024 from the Saints.
Philadelphia moved up one spot in the 2022 first-round (No. 19 to No. 18) by giving up the Colts pick (No. 16). In return for giving the Saints the No. 16 pick, the Eagles also received a 2022 third-round pick (No. 101) and the Saints’ 2023 first-round pick and 2024 second-round pick.
The Eagles ended up with two first-round draft picks in 2023 and two second-round draft picks in 2024. Not a bad haul for draft picks acquired from the Wentz and Pryor trades in 2021.
Eagles receive: A.J. Brown
Titans receive: 2022 first-round pick (No. 18), 2022 third-round pick (No. 101)
The Eagles traded a 2022 first-round pick (No. 18) and a 2022 third-round pick (No. 101) to acquire Brown from the Tennessee Titans — giving Philadelphia a No. 1 wide receiver for Hurts and pairing him with Smith. Philadelphia signed Brown to a four-year, $100 million extension with $57 million guaranteed.
Brown has the top two seasons in receiving yards by a player in Eagles history, also having the most receiving yards in a two-season span by any player to don an Eagles uniform. Brown has 194 catches for 2,952 yards and 18 touchdowns in two seasons with the Eagles, earning second-team All-Pro honors in both seasons.
Brown is third in the NFL in receiving yards (2,952) and sixth in touchdown catches (18). Amongst players with at least 300 targets in that stretch, Brown is first in yards per catch with 15.2. He signed a three-year, $96 million extension this offseason, making him the highest-paid wide receiver in terms of average annual salary in NFL history.
The Eagles didn’t use any of their own draft picks to acquire Brown, instead using the picks they acquired from the Saints earlier in April to make the deal.
Moving up in the sixth round
Eagles receive: 2022 sixth-round pick (No. 181)
Lions receive: 2022 sixth-round pick (No. 188), 2022 seventh-round pick (No. 237)
Philadelphia later would trade that 2022 seventh-round pick it acquired from the Saints (No. 237) to the Detroit Lions in exchange for a 2022 sixth-round pick (No. 181). The Eagles also gave up a 2022 sixth-round pick they acquired from the Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 188) to move up seven spots and select Kansas linebacker Kyron Johnson.
Eagles receive: 2023 first-round pick (No. 9)
Bears receive: 2023 first-round pick (No. 10), 2024 fourth-round pick
The 2023 first-round pick the Eagles acquired from the Saints ended up being the No. 10 overall pick, which Roseman used to make another impact player in that draft class. Philadelphia traded up one spot, dealing the No. 10 pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick to the Chicago Bears for the No. 9 overall pick — which the Eagles used to select Carter.
Carter was dominant in his rookie season, as he finished with 33 tackles, 6.0 sacks, 9 quarterback hits, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble return for a touchdown in 16 games for the Eagles. Carter was second amongst rookie defensive tackles in sacks, tied for second in quarterback hits and tied for first in tackles for loss (8). He tied Derrick Burgess (2001) for the second-most sacks by an Eagles rookie (Corey Simon had 9.5 sacks in 2000). He had a fumble return for a touchdown in Week 14 against the Dallas Cowboys, just the second Eagles rookie defensive tackle since 1950 to return a fumble for a score (Kevin Johnson in 1995).
Carter was also the first Eagles rookie defensive tackle to record 2.0 sacks in a game since Corey Simon in 2000. He was the first rookie defensive tackle to force two forced fumbles in a game since Karl Klug in 2011. Carter finished with 49 pressures, 38 hurries and a pressure rate per dropback of 12.7% in one of the best rookie seasons for a defensive tackle in franchise history.
Trading up for Cooper DeJean
Eagles receive: 2024 second-round pick (No. 40), 2024 third-round pick (No. 78), 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 152)
Commanders receive: 2024 second-round pick (No. 50), 2024 second-round pick (No. 53), 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 161)
The 2024 second-round pick the Eagles received from the Saints ended up being No. 50 overall, which was part of the package Roseman dealt to the Commanders to move up 10 spots to No. 40 and select DeJean. DeJean played almost exclusively as a perimeter cornerback at Iowa last season.
According to Pro Football Focus, he took 630 snaps at outside cornerback, 23 in the slot, 23 in the box, 28 lined up along the defensive line, and just one at safety. He moved around a bit more in 2022, playing 553 snaps out wide, 140 in the slot, 91 in the box, and 30 along the line.
Roseman wasn’t done with the other two picks, as the Eagles made a series of trades in the 2024 draft that was only matched once in NFL history. The Eagles general manager traded No. 78 (third round) to the Texans for No. 86 (third round) and No. 123 (fourth round), then traded the No. 86 pick to the San Francisco 49ers for No. 94 (selected linebacker Jaryx Hunt) and No. 132 (fourth round). Roseman then traded No. 123 (fourth round) to the Texans for No. 127 (selected running back Will Shipley) and a 2025 fifth-round pick.
Roseman then traded No. 132 (fourth round) and No. 210 (sixth round) to the Lions for No. 164 (fifth round), No. 201 (sixth round) and a 2025 fourth-round pick. The Eagles then traded No. 164 and No. 201 to the Colts for No. 155 (selected Jeremiah Trotter Jr.). Philadelphia still has a 2025 fourth-round pick and 2025 fifth-round pick in the bracket of the Commanders trade from draft day, which ties into the prior deals that were still stemmed from the Wentz trade.
How did the Colts fare?
The Colts didn’t make as many moves as the Eagles, and they ended up trading Wentz to the Washington Commanders a year later. They used the 2022 seventh-round pick they received in the Pryor trade as part of the deal to send Wentz to Washington (along with a 2022 second-round pick).
Indianapolis received a 2022 second-round pick (No. 42) and 2022 third-round pick (No. 73) in return for Wentz. The Colts used the No. 73 pick to select Virginia tight end Jelani Woods. Indianapolis traded the No. 42 overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick (No. 53), a 2022 third-round pick (No. 77) and a 2022 sixth-round pick (No. 192).
The Colts selected Cincinnati wide receiver Alec Pierce at No. 53, Central Michigan tackle Bernhard Raimann at No. 77, and Youngstown State tight end Andrew Ogletree at No. 192.
How did the Saints fare?
The Saints moved up from the No. 16 pick in a trade with the Washington Commanders to No. 11 overall, selecting Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave with the pick. New Orleans gave Washington a 2022 first-round pick (No. 16), a 2022 third-round pick (No. 98), and a 2022 fourth-round pick (No. 120).
New Orleans selected Northern Iowa tackle Trevor Penning with the No. 19 pick it acquired from Philadelphia. The Saints selected Air Force defensive tackle Jordan Jackson at No. 194 with that other pick from the Eagles.
The final result
Eagles receive: DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, Kyron Johnson, Jalen Carter, Cooper DeJean, Jalyx Hunt, Jeremiah Trotter Jr, 2025 fourth-round pick, 2025 fifth-round pick
Colts receive: Carson Wentz, Matt Pryor, Alec Pierce, Jelani Woods, Bernhard Raimann, Andrew Ogletree
Saints receive: Chris Olave, Trevor Penning, Jordan Jackson
The Eagles clearly won this deal, with Brown, Smith, and Carter being the centerpieces. The Colts moved on from Wentz after a year, banking on four draft picks from the 2022 draft to salvage that deal.
The Saints gave up a lot of assets for three draft picks, ultimately giving up eight picks for two first-round picks and a sixth in 2022. Olave is a star, but Penning has been a disappointment.
Roseman deserves a lot of credit for setting the Eagles up to win with all the moves he made, creating a core in Philadelphia that should set the Eagles up for Super Bowl contention for the next several years.
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