Wentz will be on the move, but it won’t be to the Steelers
By Andrew Falce
Despite the trade rumors, Wentz to the Steelers has little logic to it
While Steelers nation has seen a rabid outcry for finding the quarterback of the future this offseason, the odds of it being Carson Wentz of the Eagles is small. Despite the veteran quarterback having success and the reports saying he should be dealt soon, it would be shocking to see him land in Pittsburgh. Even more so, anyone rooting for this transaction is kidding themselves.
No matter what kind of a player you think Wentz is, the Steelers won’t be able to swallow his cap hit next year without sacrificing quite a few players. After taking into account the money the Eagles would still owe him, he would have a net cap hit of just over 30 million dollars. Given how tight the cap will be for the team already, trying to swallow this will be near impossible.
Of course, bringing in Wentz means the team is likely moving on from Ben Roethlisberger. That clears 19 million in cap space, but that still means the Steelers will need an additional 11 million to accommodate Wentz. That said, they could realistically restructure his deal once he came to the team to clear space. There are inherent problems with that though. We did the same thing last year with Roethlisberger and it is currently causing the team some major cap issues. Doing the same with Wentz could easily turn into just as bad of, if not a worse, mistake.
As for his actual play
His salary alone makes him a nearly impossible fit for the team, but that doesn’t even account for his play on the field. Last season was easily his worst as a pro, as he only threw 16 scores to 15 interceptions. That along with his lowest yardage output as a pro makes his 2020 season one to forget. Adding him now would be a huge and unnecessary risk.
To be frank, Wentz hasn’t played like the same quarterback since his knee was injured in 2017. His passes have lacked a lot of touch and the power he threw with earlier in his career isn’t there anymore. It has caused a severe regression in his play despite him only being 28 years old. Adding Wentz wouldn’t turn this team into a competitor, it would simply delay them actually finding their next franchise quarterback.
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Add in the fact that it would take some sort of draft compensation to get him on the team and the logistics of him joining the Steelers is nearly impossible. Even it was financially feasible, trading resources for a quarterback that is regressing this early in his career would be a waste. While the team has plenty of questions at quarterback, adding Wentz wouldn’t answer any of them. Best of luck to him wherever he goes, but know that it won’t be with the Steelers.