Philadelphia Eagles rumors: Marcus Mariota fits the bill at backup QB

It’s no secret that the Philadelphia Eagles need to land themselves another quarterback this offseason. In fact as I’m writing this, Jalen Hurts is the only QB currently set to be on the Eagles roster in 2021.

Carson Wentz is obviously going to be playing for Indianapolis, and Nate Sudfeld is an unrestricted free agent. Even if Howie Roseman opts to rock with Hurts as QB1 next season, bringing in a serviceable backup behind him is still something that needs to be addressed.

Well, according to The Athletic’s Ben Standing (subscription required), at least one league source has informed him that Philadelphia could be taking an extended look at current Raiders backup Marcus Mariota:

"“While Philadelphia wouldn’t seem like an obvious landing spot — Jalen Hurts remains, and Mariota and Carson Wentz are repped by the same agency — one prominent league source said to keep an eye on the Eagles if Mariota is traded or released.”"

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Now obviously, there’s a lot to unpack here.

First and foremost, the optics of bringing in Mariota would be less than ideal. The Eagles were notoriously linked to the former Oregon QB back when Chip Kelly was in charge of things, with a pretty insane trade offer being reported at the time.

While Mariota fits the bill of being a solid veteran backup, adding him to the roster could give fans a sense of “going backwards,” as opposed to moving ahead with fresh faces. The Chip Kelly experience was brutal enough as is, reminding everyone that he used to be here via Mariota’s presence won’t sit well with some of the fans.

Second, Mariota is actually a pretty decent quarterback. He was a multi-year starter for the Tennessee Titans, and looked pretty solid for the Raiders in 2020 when required to sub in. The Eagles are no strangers to QB controversies, and the looming presence of Mariota could create another one if Hurts struggles next season.

If the Eagles don’t actually care about potentially upsetting Hurts (like they did with Wentz), adding Mariota as a backup would be a significant get. He has a career passer rating of 89.5, and he’s even won a playoff game.

Marcus Mariota to the Philadelphia Eagles?

Ultimately speaking, Mariota would have to be outright released for the Eagles to be serious players in his market. He’s currently set to make $10+ million in 2021, and that’s just not a salary Philly can take on at the moment.

While a cut may seem unlikely, the Raiders have an opt-out clause worked into Mariota’s current deal, meaning they could easily cut ties with him with no dead cap hit. That piece of information definitely makes a Mariota release – followed by him signing with Philly for cheap – feel a tad more reasonable.

Personally speaking, I definitely see the logic behind bringing in a proven veteran like Mariota if the asking price is cheap. If Hurts ends up not being the answer at QB, Mariota could easily slide in and help some of the team’s wide receivers continue to develop.