Products You May Like
The Philadelphia Eagles and former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota have reportedly agreed to terms on a one-year, $5 million deal, which includes $3 million in incentives, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Mariota, 29, is expected to assume the backup quarterback role behind Jalen Hurts.
Last season, Mariota started 13 games for the Falcons. In his starts for Atlanta, he threw for 2,219 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Ahead of Week 15, head coach Arthur Smith announced the team made a “performance-based” decision to bench Mariota for third-round rookie Desmond Ridder. Mariota then underwent knee surgery and was placed on injured reserve, although Smith appeared to question the timing, via the The Athletic, saying Mariota’s knee was “nothing that has been an issue this season, but that’s [his] prerogative so … ”
Mariota was released on Feb. 28. The Eagles will be his fourth team since being the No. 2 selection in the 2015 NFL Draft. Back then, former Oregon and Eagles head coach Chip Kelly didn’t see his team trade up and select Marcus Mariota as he’d hoped.
Mariota played for the Titans from 2015-19, before they turned to Ryan Tannehill. Mariota then signed with the Raiders and spent two years with Las Vegas serving as Derek Carr’s backup.
The Eagles saw success with Hurts last season. They posted a 14-3 record in 2022, winning the NFC East and advancing to Super Bowl LVII before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs.
When Hurts injured his shoulder in the third quarter of a Week 15 win over the Bears, backup Gardner Minshew started in his place against the Dallas Cowboys and went 24-of-40 for 355 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in that loss.
In two seasons with the Eagles, Minshew played nine games and started four, throwing for 1,102 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. Thursday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Minshew agreed to terms with the Indianapolis Colts. The 26-year-old will likely reprise his backup role. The Colts recently released veteran quarterback Matt Ryan and are expected to use their No. 4 pick to select a quarterback in next month’s draft.