Opinion Trax: Who could backup Jalen Hurts next season?

On Friday, trade speculations continue to grow surrounding Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, his time in Philadelphia appears to be coming to an end. He reported that teams have begun to call the Eagles about Wentz.

The rumored teams reportedly interested in Wentz are the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts. The Bears are rumored to be the favorites to land Wentz.

It’s unknown what the Bears would send the Eagles in return for Wentz; obviously, they will want Wentz to restructure his contract before any moves are made. He would be reunited with Nick Foles and former quarterback coach John DeFilippo. If Wentz is traded to the Colts, he would be reunited with Frank Reich and Press Taylor.

In December, former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum offered a solution on ESPN’s show “Get Up” that Wentz should pay the Eagles to trade him. “Right now, if Carson Wentz was traded before he earned a roster bonus, he would count $33.8 million on Philly’s cap next year. However, under the rules, if Carson Wentz wrote a check for $20 million before the end of the 2020 league year, the Eagles will get a credit next year, meaning he would only be $13.8 on their cap in 2021, which is a very reasonable number.”

Wentz could easily do this to make his trade value reasonable while also restructuring his contract for whoever is interested in him and get the trade done. If Wentz does not go this route, the Eagles will have to entice teams to take Wentz’s contract. This might include sending draft picks, money to cover his contract, players, or all three while taking on $33.8 million in dead money. If the Eagles can accomplish this and move on from Wentz, they will have to find a backup for Jalen Hurts either through free agency or the draft.

Among the veteran quarterbacks that will be free agents this year are Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, Nate Sudfeld, Tyrod Taylor, Colt McCoy, Robert Griffin III, Geno Smith, Jameis Winston, Blake Bortles, Blaine Gabbert, and Jacoby Brissett. The Eagles could once again draft another quarterback. Among those in this year’s class outside of Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, and Justin Fields or Florida’s Kyle Trask, Alabama’s Mac Jones, Texas A&M Kellen Mond, Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman, Texas Longhorns Sam Ehlinger, and Notre Dame’s Ian Book.

One quarterback, I think you can scratch off is Nate Sudfeld. After what happened in the Week 17 game against the Washington Football Team, he is going to want a fresh start somewhere else and compete for a backup job. There will be other teams interested in him, and I think he wants to move on.

The Eagles are currently $53 million over the cap and must get under the cap before the new league year starts next month. They are not going to have much money to spend in free agency to get a backup quarterback. Maybe, they could look at someone who played in the CFL or the XFL like Cardale Jones or Brandon Silvers to back up Hurts on a cheap deal.

I think the next backup quarterback for Hurts is going to come from the draft in the later rounds. Many good quarterbacks have been taken in later rounds in NFL history, including Johnny Unitas, Norm Van Brocklin, Roger Staubach, Sonny Jurgensen, Bart Starr, and Tom Brady, who was taken by the Patriots in the sixth round. There will be some good quarterbacks there, and I think the Eagles will use one of their draft picks to get one.