Joe Flacco is no longer a starter-caliber quarterback in the NFL. That time passed a good half-decade ago. In no way does this mean Flacco can’t be a quality backup for a young signal caller.
It appears that the Philadelphia Eagles have come to this conclusion. According to Flacco’s agency, the Super Bowl quarterback has signed with Philadelphia. He will be second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts’ primary backup after the Eagles traded Carson Wentz earlier in the offseason.
Flacco, 36, last suited up for the New York Jets in 2020. He started four games for the team, throwing for 864 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. Prior to that, Flacco spent one season in Denver following a solid 11-year career with the Baltimore Ravens. Below, we look at three reasons why Joe Flacco to the Philadelphia Eagles makes sense.
Joe Flacco is a perfect quarterback for Jalen Hurts to learn from
We’ve seen a few young quarterbacks work with or under Flacco during his 13-year NFL career. That included Tyrod Taylor with the Baltimore Ravens. He’d eventually moved on to the Buffalo Bills, becoming a Pro Bowl quarterback in the process.
With the Denver Broncos back in 2019, Flacco helped then-rookie Drew Lock learn the ropes. The second-round pick was darn good in his first NFL season before bombing out in 2020 with Flacco on the New York Jets. Speaking of the Jets, Flacco worked with Sam Darnold a season ago. He is almost like a second quarterbacks coach. That’s no small thing for the maturation process of Mr. Hurts after the Eagles have apparently decided to go all in with the former Alabama and Oklahoma star.
The veteran experience will be huge for these Philadelphia Eagles
Prior to this signing, Philadelphia had only Hurts and 2020 undrafted free agent Khalil Tate on the roster. That’s a combination of 148 career regular-season passes. In no way was new Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni going to go into the 2021 season with that lack of experience on the roster.
Think about it this way. Joe Flacco has thrown 447 playoff passes in 15 postseason starts throughout his career. Philadelphia needed that type of experience behind Hurts should the still-young quarterback struggle in his first season as a full-time starter. It’s a real possibility with him learning a completely new offense and now being considered the man under center. Veteran experience behind Hurts was a necessity here.
Joe Flacco comes on the cheap
Last season saw Flacco player under a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Jets. The veteran has earned a whopping $147.8 million throughout his career. There’s absolutely no reason to believe he’s going to be chasing after the money in Philadelphia. That’s not his MO.
Flacco’s deal with the Eagles comes in at $3.5 million guaranteed. It’s no small thing for an Eagles team that boasts the worst salary cap situation around the league right now. It can afford them to potentially be active during the second and third waves of free agency ahead of next month’s NFL Draft. It’s also a much lower sum than other regressing quarterbacks have signed during the earlier stages of free agency.
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