Report: Eagles find their QB2, fulfill prophecy eight years in the making

With Gardner Minshew moving on to join Shane Steichen in Indianapolis, Philadelphia needed a new back-up for Jalen Hurts.

The Eagles have reportedly found their man, signing QB Marcus Mariota to a one-year, $5M deal.

Former Falcons’ QB Marcus Mariota reached agreement with the Philadelphia Eagles on a one-year, $5 million deal worth up to $8 million, per source. Mariota is expected to be the Eagles’ No. 2 QB this season. pic.twitter.com/pBYEOxiMPk

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2023

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Mariota, 29, last played with the Atlanta Falcons in 2022, completing 61.3% of passes for 2,219 yards, 15 TDs, and 9 INTs while going just 5-8 as a starter. The Falcons eventually made the switch to rookie QB Desmond Ridder, signaling the end of Mariota’s short stint in ATL.

In Philadelphia, however, Mariota fulfills a prophecy eight years in the making. As we all remember, then-HC Chip Kelly did everything in his power to have the Eagles move up from No. 20 to No. 2 overall in the 2015 draft and select his Oregon quarterback. The trade never materialized as Kelly stated the price was ‘too steep’ (stop lying), and they drafted WR Nelson Agholor instead.

In perhaps his final ‘F-U’ move to Chip, Howie Roseman finally #DidTheDeal and brought Mariota to Philly.

What package are #Eagles talking about to go to No. 1 or No. 2? Two 1st rounders, a 3rd rounder, Fletcher Cox, Boykin, Kendricks, more. Wow.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 30, 2015

Schematically, Mariota is a good fit for the Eagles. If Hurts is unavailable for whatever reason, Mariota is mobile enough (rushed for 438 yards and 4TDs last season) to execute Nick Sirianni’s offense without having to re-do the entire playbook. There is something to be said about Mariota taking his ball and going home once he was benched, but Philly’s culture should keep him in check.

With 74 career starts under his belt, Mariota serves as a high-level backup for a team who went 0-2 without Hurts in 2022.

Marcus Mariota: Still very fast.

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— NFL (@NFL) October 16, 2022

Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta | USA TODAY Sports