NFL Notebook: Colts are prepared to move on from Carson Wentz

NFL offseason stories continue to crop up as speculation and negotiations take place all around the league. Let’s take a look at the top storylines in the latest edition of our NFL Notebook.

Broadcasting Musical Chairs

A few weeks ago there was speculation that Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay was planning to leave the sidelines for the broadcast booth.

It was a reasonable theory given the work needed to excel as a coach and the comparable financial compensation for being a broadcaster, but the Rams have given their coach a new salary to keep him with the franchise.

As McVay stays in the league, longtime broadcaster Troy Aikman has made a switch from Fox to ESPN. There are talks that his longtime partner, Joe Buck, could be pulled over as well, but if Buck opts to remain with Fox then ESPN will potentially pursue longtime NBC legend Al Michaels. Michaels is also rumored to be a target of Amazon and their new NFL broadcast.

However it shakes out, I’ll selfishly hope that NBC hangs on to what they have, and we get to hear Michaels continue to cap off Sundays.

Is Saquon as good as gone?

The New York Giants have been one of the most disappointing teams in the league for the last decade, and with a new management team in place it should come as no surprise that turmoil on the roster could be in store.

Star running back Saquon Barkley is a phenomenal athlete who burst onto the national scene with his weightlifting accomplishments while in college at Penn State, but injuries have derailed his professional career, and he's now on the trading block.

Barkley is guaranteed over $7 million in salary this year, while the Giants are more than $11 million over the salary cap, so it is easy to see why the team might be looking to part ways with their former top 10 draft pick in favor of a cheaper option.

Barkley still has plenty of time to be a significant contributor in this league, but with three separate injuries in three consecutive seasons he will need to have far better luck moving forward if he wants to make the impact that was expected of him when he was drafted. It will be interesting to see if any teams with financial room comes calling on the 25-year-old back.

Will Colts dump Carson Wentz?

The Indianapolis Colts had high hopes of improving upon their 11-5 finish in 2020 with equal or greater success in 2021. Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz was reunited with former coach Frank Reich, and it appeared that Wentz was on his way to a nice comeback year through much of the season.

The Colts had two opportunities to end their season and make the playoffs with a win, but Wentz was unsuccessful both times, leading the organization to question whether they have the right quarterback for the job.

Wentz showed better numbers and overall play at several times in 2021, but there were still clearly stretches when making the simple, easy play was a struggle. The Colts will now likely decide soon if they want to give him another opportunity or cut ties and give Reich a different option to build his offense around.

Jaguars are willing to shop Top Pick

For the second year in a row, the Jacksonville Jaguars have the top pick in the NFL Draft. However, after selecting franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence last year, and with no consensus top pick, the Jags may be in the market to trade down.

Jacksonville GM Trent Baalke recently said the Jags are open for business, and if they can convince another team there is somebody near the top worth paying a premium for, it would likely be in their best interests to collect additional draft capital.

The Jaguars need help in a lot of places, and while the top pick is sure to be a difference maker at the next level, the franchise may benefit more from multiple picks in the second round and beyond.