I've seen enough.
Yes, Carson Wentz tore up his knee last year. Yes, he's now dealing with back soreness and may miss the last few games of the season. Yes, he missed an open receiver here and there. Yes, he was inconsistent this year, especially early in games. Yeah, he got sacked and fumbled.
He's not perfect.
But he's the Eagles' best hope for the future, and as soon as the season ends and the Eagles are allowed under terms of the CBA, they should make Wentz one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in NFL history.
This is a no-brainer.
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NFL rules allow teams to re-do a player's rookie contract after his third season, and we're just weeks away from that.
The Eagles don't have to sign Wentz yet. He won't become a free agent until 2021.
But as the salary cap keeps rising, so do salaries. The longer they wait, the more they risk having to pay him millions and millions of dollars more.
So you want him under contract ASAP.
There's an element of risk involved for everybody with these things (see story). The risk for the Eagles: What if Wentz is never as good as he was in 2017? The risk for Wentz: What if he signs now and outplays his deal?
What makes the most sense for both of them is if the Eagles and Wentz agree on a deal this spring.
I don't care about his knee. I don't care about his back. These are temporary things.
His talent. His ability. His skill. These are not temporary. They're not going away.
Carson Wentz has shown enough in his first 40 NFL games for me to strongly believe he's going to be an elite quarterback for the next decade.
You have to take the long view on these things.
Wentz is going to be winning football games and I think Super Bowls for this franchise long after his knee injury and this back injury are forgotten.
I want him to spend his entire career here, and the best way to make sure that happens is to pay him fair market value.
For him, that's somewhere between $26 and $30 million per year.
The 10 highest-paid QBs based on annual salary according to Spotrac are currently:
$33.5 million … Aaron Rodgers
$30 million … Matt Ryan
$28 million … Kirk Cousins
$27.5 million … Jimmy Garoppolo
$27 million … Matt Stafford
$25 million … Derek Carr
$25 million … Drew Brees
$24.6 million … Andrew Luck
$23.5 million … Alex Smith
$22.1 million … Andrew Luck
When you look at that list and ponder where Wentz fitz in, the answer is clear.
Top 5.
He's that good. More importantly, he's 25, and he'll continue to be that good for years.
And remember you're getting paid for what you're projected to do the next five years. And other than Pat Mahomes I can't think of a quarterback I'd rather build around than Wentz.
I get that he's been hurt and he hasn't won a Super Bowl. But look at that list. It's full of quarterbacks who've been hurt and haven't won a Super Bowl. They got paid because of their potential. And very few quarterbacks on the planet have more potential than Wentz.
Think about his first three years. Even if he doesn't play another snap this year.
Despite everything that's happened, Wentz will be the first QB in NFL history to throw for 10,000 yards in his first three seasons with at least 70 touchdowns and fewer than 30 interceptions.
And he's only going to get smarter, he's only going to get healthier, he's only going to get better.
For me, the number is right around $27 ½ million per year over five years.
He's earned it. He deserves it.
You can harp all you want on how he held onto the ball too long here or missed a wide-open Nelson Agholor there.
I'm telling you there's something special in Carson Wentz. Better days are ahead, and he's going to prove in time that he's worth every penny of the massive contract he's about to get.
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