More than any other team, the Eagles know the importance of having a good backup quarterback. They now have to ask themselves whether their current backup quarterback is good enough.
In the offseason, the Eagles gave Marcus Mariota a one-year, $5 million deal to serve as the understudy to Jalen Hurts. But Mariota, the second pick in the 2015 draft, has been outplayed in the preseason by rookie Tanner McKee.
So if the Eagles decide that McKee is better than Mariota, what will the Eagles do? Will they release Mariota, despite the fully-guaranteed contract? Will they look for another veteran to serve as No. 2 while McKee learns the ropes?
Even as Netflix wades deeper into the infomercials-masquerading-as-documentaries pool, the Quarterback series could only do so much glass-half-full work when it came to making Mariota look good. The circumstances surrounding his departure from the Falcons after being benched for Desmond Ridder continue to be confusing and unresolved. And when Al Michaels specifically mentions that dynamic during the game broadcast with the question of whether Mariota’s heart is in the game, the message is unmistakable — Al is hearing those concerns from people within the Eagles organization.
So here’s a question to ponder. Were the Eagles as surprised and alarmed as the many in the audience by the conclusion of Mariota’s 2022 season? Did it change the way they regard him?
While it wouldn’t matter if he was playing well, it can’t help his situation as he struggles.
What happens if they tell him he’ll be No. 3 behind McKee? Will he walk away, like he did in 2022?
This time around, he’d owe the Eagles most if not all of the $3.5 million signing bonus he was paid when he agreed to terms with the Eagles.
Four days from the deadline for trimming the roster to 53, the Eagles might have some tough decisions to make regarding Mariota. Will he be No. 2? If not, will he even be on the team?
