When the Philadelphia Eagles traded quarterback Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts, they included a clause in his deal. It said that if Wentz played 75 per cent of the Colts’ snaps, their conditional second-round pick would turn into a first-rounder for the Eagles.
Considering how well Wentz has been playing recently and how many of the Colts’ snaps he has been involved in, there’s little doubt that the Colts’ first-round pick will now change hands.
That means the Eagles will get their third first-round for the 2022 draft. The Philadelphia-based franchise will be able to use its own first-round selection, and will also benefit from the Colts and Dolphins’ first-round picks too.
Played 97.7% of the Colts’ Snaps
On Saturday, the Colts notched a very important 22-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals, and Wentz took all 63 snaps in that game. Under the terms of his trade deal, if he plays 75 per cent of the Colts’ snaps, the Eagles get that first-round pick. With Wentz playing 97.7 per cent of the Colts’ snaps, the Eagles getting that first-rounder is no longer in question.
The trade deal also guaranteed that the Eagles would benefit from a first-round pick if Wentz’ snaps percentage was lower than 75% and was over the 70% benchmark. However, in that case, the Colts would have to make the playoffs. That Colts are yet to confirm their participation in the playoffs, but, considering Wentz’ current snaps percentage, it is unlikely that clause will come into play.
Will Stay Above 75% Even If He Missed the Last Two Games
Wentz has played 923 of Colts’ 945 snaps, and for him to drop below the 75 per cent threshold he would have to miss the last two games of the regular season, and the Colts to average 143 snaps per game.
Seeing how the Colts have averaged 63 snaps per game until now, that scenario is impossible. In other words, the Eagles will get the Colts’ first-round pick for the 2022 NFL draft, whatever happens next.
But it didn’t always seem this certain that Wentz would get to and past the 75 per cent benchmark. In August, he suffered a preseason foot injury that he had to go under the knife for. Back then, it seemed far less likely that he would get to the 75 per cent threshold.
However, Wentz managed to make an instant recovery and even started the Colts’ first game of the season against the Seattle Seahawks. Together with running back Jonathan Taylor, Wentz is now the best player for the Colts, and it is clear why Frank Reich, Wentz’ former offensive coach in Philadelphia, wanted him to come to Indianapolis and urged for the trade to happen.
