The Eagles finally closed the deal – Mariota coming to Philly originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles eventually closed the deal.
Years after endless speculation that Chip Kelly’s Eagles could trade for draft Marcus Mariota, the former first-round pick has finally landed in Philadelphia … now as a replacement.
The Eagles are signing Mariota to a one-year contract, a league source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia. ESPN Adam Schefter reported very early Friday morning that the deal is worth $5 million and up to $8 million.
And Mariota also posted on his Instagram story: “Go Birds” with the eagle emoji.
Mariota, 29, will become the Eagles’ new quarterback behind Jalen Hurts. Former backup Gardner Minshew left for the Indianapolis Colts in free agency on Thursday.
Mariota was once a star at Oregon, where he won the Heisman Trophy and was one of the top prospects in the 2015 draft class. With Kelly in charge of the Eagles, there were a ton of rumors that the Eagles were going to trade to land Mariota.
But instead, Mariota was Tennessee’s second draft pick and Kelly was fired before the end of the 2015 season. Since then, Howie Roseman has taken over running the front office and built two different Super Bowl rosters. Adding Mariota eight years later is a nice touch from Roseman.
Last season, Mariota started 13 games with the Falcons. He was 5-8, completing 61.3% of his passes for 2,219 yards, with 15 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He was fine but this organization is moving forward with Desmond Ridder.
And at this point in his career, Mariota really comes into its own as a top substitute. He was a starter with the Titans for five seasons, but then came on as a substitute with the Raiders before his lone season with the Falcons. In his career, Mariota is 34-40, has completed 62.6% of his passes with 92 touchdowns and 54 interceptions.
But the fun part of his game, and the reason this fit feels so natural, is Mariota’s running ability. In those 13 starts last year, Mariota rushed for 438 yards and 4 touchdowns. Having a backup with this ability means the Eagles offense won’t have to look much different if Hurts runs out of time.
It’s also important to note that Mariota was released by the Falcons in February, meaning he won’t count towards the compensatory selection formula. The Eagles have lost a lot of free agents this offseason and expect to bring back the maximum four comp picks for next year’s draft.
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