Carson Wentz expected to request trade over 'fractured' relationship with Eagles, per report

Carson Wentz is expected to request a trade after the season, according to a report by ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

Mortensen, speaking during a segment on ESPN's "NFL Countdown," said Wentz's relationship with the Eagles "is all but fractured. In fact, it is fractured."

Mortensen later published a story on ESPN's website saying that it's Wentz's relationship with head coach Doug Pederson that's "fractured beyond repair, according to league sources."

Pederson said as recently as Friday that the offseason goal is to "fix" Wentz, who was having by far the worst season in his career. Wentz was benched in the second half of the Eagles' game against Green Bay on Dec. 6, and hasn't played since.

"I've got a ton of confidence in Carson Wentz and always have," Pederson said. "Our offseason is going to be geared towards getting things fixed as quarterbacks and obviously as a team."

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Mortensen went on to say that Wentz would be willing to facilitate a trade. That could possibly mean reworking his contract to make it more palatable for the Eagles to trade him.

Even if he does, however, the Eagles would still be on the tab for a $34 million dead money charge on their salary cap for 2021. That makes Wentz very difficult to trade. That's because the Eagles are projected to be about $70 over the salary cap whether Wentz plays for them or not next season.

The Eagles might not want to take that kind of cap charge to see Wentz flourish somewhere else. The highest current dead money charge taken by an NFL team is $21 million. 

Wentz has a career-low completion percentage of 57.4% and passer rating of 72.8, both also among the worst marks in the NFL. Wentz had thrown a career-high 15 interceptions coming into Week 17, which is still tied for the NFL lead, and sacked a league-high 50 times.

Rookie Jalen Hurts has taken over for Wentz since the Green Bay game. It's expected that the two will compete for the job during the offseason.

The Eagles close out their season Sunday night against Washington, but Wentz reportedly won't be on the game-day roster. Nate Sudfeld will replace him as Hurts' backup.

That move makes sense whether the Eagles decide to keep Wentz or not. After all, an injury in a meaningless game certainly won't help his trade value, not to mention being ready to compete for the job.

"The reaction of Jeffrey Lurie, the owner, will be vital," Mortensen said. "But right now, Wentz clearly wants out of Philadelphia and a fresh start somewhere else. That will be a big story in the offseason."

Follow Martin Frank on Twitter @Mfranknfl.