If you’re confused by the Bears’ reported interest in trading for Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, you’re not alone. On Pro Football Talk, Chris Simms and Mike Florio argued that not only is Wentz a poor fit for Chicago, but Chicago is a poor fit for Wentz.
“Bears, I don’t really know why you’d want Carson Wentz,” Simms said. “Because you’re going to get right back into the Trubisky conversation. If you get Carson Wentz in one of these trades and it doesn’t go well at first, everyone’s going to go, ‘What the hell? It didn’t work that well in Philly. Did he really look that special in Philly? They didn’t want him. We have guys that can’t evaluate quarterbacks. What’s going on?’...that is where the public conversation is going to turn as soon as he plays bad.”
No matter where Wentz plays, he’ll have a bright spotlight on him, as people watch to see if he plays more like he did in 2020, or like he did in 2017. Last season, Wentz struggled behind shoddy offensive line play, making poor decisions and turning the ball over at a high rate. Sound familiar?
However, back in 2017 Wentz was heading towards a possible MVP award before tearing his ACL in Week 13. Nick Foles took over, led the Eagles to a Super Bowl win (snagging the Super Bowl MVP in the process) and Philly’s QB room has never been the same since.
“For Wentz, he shouldn’t want to go to Chicago, because you’re stepping into the same problems,” Florio said. “There’s more pressure for you to perform right out of the gate. In Indianapolis I think he would have more leeway, have more of a chance to grow and develop. Frank Reich has built up enough equity in his three years on the job that he can convince the fans to be patient. That this is a project.
“If I’m Wentz, I strongly prefer the Colts.”
Click here to subscribe to the Under Center Podcast for free.