March 17, 2023
Dreams from 2015 finally came true. Marcus Mariota is going to be a Philadelphia Eagle.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter in the earliest hours of Friday morning, Mariota and the Eagles reached an agreement on a one-year, $5 million deal that can reach up to $8 million max.
The former second-overall pick is expected to be the new backup to starting quarterback Jalen Hurts, with word coming in not long after former backup Gardner Minshew reached a reported pact with the Indianapolis Colts.
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
A star and Heisman winner at Oregon, Mariota was a top QB prospect heading into the 2015 draft and someone former coach Chip Kelly was heavily rumored at the time to be looking to trade up for. That never happened, Mariota went to Tennessee instead, and Kelly was fired by the Eagles within a year – though not for a failure to move up in that draft.
Mariota went on to play five seasons for the Titans but never found his footing as a starter, then moved on to Las Vegas, where he backed up Derek Carr for two years. He signed a two-year deal with the Falcons last spring and won the starting job out of camp, but was eventually benched late in the season then shut down entirely to undergo knee surgery.
The Falcons released him from his contract last month.
With Minshew long expected to leave in search of a starting opportunity after this past season, the Eagles were set to be on the lookout for another veteran backup, and Mariota, at age 29 and entering his ninth season, more than fits the bill.
Additionally, Mariota's more mobile playstyle under center would be a better fit for the Eagles' offense in the event that Hurts does go down for a couple of games like he did with the shoulder sprain in 2022 in a stretch where the Eagles went 0-2.
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