Eagles sign former first-round QB overnight
The Eagles found someone to come in and back up Jalen Hurts after losing Gardner Minshew to the Colts.
The Philadelphia Eagles lost backup quarterback Gardner Minshew to the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, but it didn't take them long to find Jalen Hurts' next backup.
Enter former Heisman Trophy winner and top-2 draft pick, Marcus Mariota. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Eagles signed Mariota to a one-year, $5 million deal that's worth $8 million after incentives.
Mariota is certainly a backup at this point in his career, even if he started 13 games for the Atlanta Falcons last year. The Falcons offense was nowhere near the definition of even "good", but still, Mariota's play didn't help things.
That doesn't mean he can't come in and produce via spot duty, however.
Mariota is also a good fit for the Eagles offense. He's still very mobile and he's an intelligent player. Offensive coordinator Brian Johnson also knows how to get the best out of his quarterbacks, so it's logical to assume Mariota will provide better play (when needed) simply based off his situation, which is much better than the one he faced in Atlanta or even the one he faced with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Eagles needed insurance behind Hurts because let's be honest – Ian Book has yet to reach the point in his career where he can be relied upon as a No. 2 QB. Mariota at least provides that option and also provides competition for Book, which hopefully helps his development, in return.
