As teams continue to fill out their quarterback depth charts, the Eagles lost Gardner Minshew to their former offensive coordinator’s new team. They will respond to Minshew’s Shane Steichen reunion in Indianapolis by adding another Jalen Hurts backup just after midnight.
The Eagles have agreed to terms with Marcus Mariota to step into that role, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The former No. 2 overall pick agreed to a one-year deal worth $5MM, with Schefter adding it can max out at $8MM.
While Minshew and Hurts’ skillsets differed, the Eagles will now have another dual-threat option to play behind Hurts. This is a similar strategy to the Ravens’ plans of recent years, and Mariota will head to Philadelphia coming off an extended run of starter work in Atlanta. That stretch did not end well, with Mariota leaving the Falcons — ahead of a surprise knee surgery — after his late-season benching for rookie Desmond Ridder. But Mariota started 13 games for the Falcons last season and helped the team rank third in the NFL in rushing.
Hurts has suffered injuries that have required him to miss time in each of his two seasons as Philly’s full-time starter. He battled an ankle injury in 2021, one that necessitated offseason surgery, and missed two games with a shoulder issue last season. This brought in Minshew, who has since followed Steichen to Indianapolis. Mariota does not bring much passing upside, but he is on the backup market for a reason. That has been his primary role in three of the past four seasons.
The Titans drafted Mariota back in 2015, but the Eagles — then led by ex-Oregon coach Chip Kelly — tried to trade up to that No. 2 spot for Kelly’s ex-Ducks pupil. Those efforts were unsuccessful, and Mariota ended up remaining the Titans’ starter until October 2019. Since being benched for Ryan Tannehill, however, Mariota has not finished a season as a team’s starter. He sat behind Derek Carr for two seasons in Las Vegas, mixing in occasionally as a change-of-pace run option, and was M.I.A. following Ridder’s December promotion.
Reuniting Mariota with ex-Titans OC Arthur Smith, the Falcons brought him in as their Matt Ryan replacement. Calls for Mariota’s benching rang out for weeks before Smith made that move, and while Atlanta’s passing attack was inconsistent, QBR slotted the 29-year-old passer 13th last season. Mariota threw 15 touchdown passes compared to nine interceptions but only cleared 200 passing yards in one of his final 10 starts. In one of the most obvious cuts in recent NFL history, the Falcons bailed on Mariota’s two-year, $18.75MM deal in February.
Mariota, who rushed for a career-high 438 yards despite playing 13 games in 2022, has made 74 career starts. He piloted the Titans to the 2017 divisional round, leading an upset over the Chiefs in Alex Smith‘s final Kansas City start, and Tennessee picked up his fifth-year option — despite injuries intervening in 2016 and 2018 — before its seminal Tannehill trade. Mariota will now join a fourth team, representing the latest domino to fall on the crowded stopgap/backup QB market.
Here are the quarterback deals to have been agreed to in free agency thus far:
- Jimmy Garoppolo, Raiders: Three years, $72.75MM ($33.75MM guaranteed)
- Andy Dalton, Panthers: Two years, $10MM ($8MM guaranteed)
- Jacoby Brissett, Commanders: One year, $8MM ($7.5MM guaranteed)
- Taylor Heinicke, Falcons: Two years, $14MM ($6.32MM guaranteed)
- Jarrett Stidham, Broncos: Two years, $10MM ($5MM guaranteed)
- Mike White, Dolphins: Two years, $8MM ($4.5MM guaranteed)
- Drew Lock, Seahawks: Two years, $7MM ($4.4MM guaranteed)
- Case Keenum, Texans: Two years, $6.25MM ($4MM guaranteed)
- Jameis Winston, Saints (reworked deal): One year, $4MM ($4MM guaranteed)
- Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers: One year, $4MM ($4MM guaranteed)
- Sam Darnold, 49ers: One year, $4.5MM ($3.5MM guaranteed)
- Gardner Minshew, Colts: One year, $3.5MM ($3.5MM guaranteed)
- Nick Mullens, Vikings: Two years, $4MM ($1.9MM guaranteed)
- Easton Stick, Chargers: One year, $1.8MM ($1.2MM guaranteed)
- Kyle Allen, Bills: One-year agreement
In a prefect world u don’t need the backup QB, but getting Mariota is good move just in case u need someone to fill in for Hurts
I will concede that the Falcons were terrible but he was worse. Eagles are straight wasting money.
As they’ve gone to a 17 game schedule the need for a solid QB2 has increased. Dings that a player used to play through now has him sitting out games to ensure they heal better and it doesn’t continue to nag all season.
You have to wonder why more teams don’t sign backup QBs with skill-sets that more closely match their starter. Having to get used to the timing/idiosyncrasies of an unfamiliar QB is problematical enough without having to use a different set of plays from all that has gone on before. Philly, Chicago, and Arizona were just a few of the teams hurt by mismatched backups last year.
The downside of having QB clones on the roster is that you won’t be forcing opposing defenses to make any adjustments. In baseball hitters are kept off balance by making them adjust to a variety of different pitching styles and that seems to be a sound concept.
It took 8 years but as the rumors stated when Chip Kelly was hired, Marcus Mariota is an Eagle
And what they gave up for him this time around is substantially less than the package previously discussed.
Notice how the Bears signing Walker doesn’t even get a mention. The football people here aren’t prejudiced much are they? Showing their true colors. That’s OK. Even Kyle Allen and a guy named Dip Stick get a mention.
Keep up, bro. You’re late.
PJ had his own article
..and you missed it
I was talking about the list above that starts with Garapolo dipstick. Do you see anyone missing? I saw the Walker article, what I’m talking about is the list of all the QB’s signed. Reading is a skill after all. Try and keep up.
For a guy who calls himself the ” All Knowing”, You sure are dumb.
According to CBS Sports, the PJ Walker deal is still on hold, pending the results of his physical. I’m sure the good people of ProFootballRumors will add him to the list when his deal is completed.
@mike
you mean this article a couple hours before your comment and 3 hours before this article? Perhaps you showing your true colors?
link to profootballrumors.com
Since the Bears signed Walker days ago, You’re saying he didn’t know about it? And since two of the guys mentioned don’t even have any contract details? When you’re through, Wipe yourself.
Maybe it’s because Walker is total garbage? Mariota can at least complete over 55% of his passes and win some games. You seem very sensitive though.
And Kyle Allen and Easton( Dip) Stick are future Hall of Famer’s ? And Mariotta is nothing to write home about either. Let’s all hear it for Sid. He makes as much sense as Goku the dumb
You’ll be in a bad way if you let your blood pressure spike every time there is an error or omission Mike. The list also suggests Allen will play for free and we all know that ain’t happening.
He should Lemon. LOL And my blood pressure is perfect. Just had a check up.
Cry some more Mike. You are making everyone laugh, and….spoiler alert, it’s not with you. You should just ask Walker out.
I didn’t think you could say anything dumber. But i was wrong wasn’t I Sid? LMAO
I guess I should lower my expectations for you, since you are obviously a 13 year old girl. OMG, I’m so LOLing at all of my own comments, FR. I mean it, I am LMAO so hard.
Go ahead and call everyone else dumb, if that is what it takes to make you feel adequate.
uncle Mike definitely has zero black friends and sees them as lessor humans that need his support and protection
mike the messiah showing up to the bball courts with his fanny pack to save the day
here’s some advice from someone who has a lot of black friends…
normal black ppl are just like normal white ppl.. they don’t constantly think about race and jump to strange aggressive conclusions
So let me get this straight. I write a comment about the football writers here slighting the Chicago Bears in general by mentioning that he didn’t even mention PJ Walker in his stupid article. An idiot who names himself after a lousy Baseball player tries to turn it into something about my issues, And a bigger idiot who names himself after a Character in one of the dumbest movies ever made and tries to make himself look smart calls me 13 years old and tries to turn it into something racial? We can only assume how he got there. Really? You know I thought you guys were morons. But I was wrong. You’re actually way stupider than that. My apologies to morons. I can only assume Sid the Twink is a Pittsburgh fan so he roots for the team that signed Trubisky. I have a new respect for people who try to teach the handicapped. Brutal
u literally called the writers here prejudice.
whatever soyboy
was hopping GB was going to ink him to a back up deal, with him having worked with ML
It’s like Chip never left!
I guess since Carr’s agreement came down before the league year started, it’s missing from this list.
Lions said signing a backup QB was a priority. Who’s left? Teddy?
Detroit once gave journalist George Plimpton an audition so perhaps they’ll invite Sam Robinson to visit for a workout.
Good move by the Eagles (unfortunately). Mariota’s no miracle worker but he can certainly spell Hurts for a few games and win the ones against weaker opponents. Hurts better be back for the playoffs though.
Interesting note I saw:
“It’s also important to note that Mariota was released by the Falcons in February, which means he won’t count toward the compensatory pick formula. The Eagles have lost plenty of free agents this offseason and expect to bring back the maximum four comp picks for next year’s draft.”