Eagles offered Joe Flacco a deal before he joined Colts; report

Former Eagles backup quarterback Joe Flacco is reuniting with former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen in Indianapolis on a one-year deal to back up Anthony Richardson

Why is that notable in Philadelphia?

Well, because the Eagles apparently tried to sign Flacco this week too, according to a report from Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press.

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Before agreeing to a deal with the #Colts, Joe Flacco had an offer from the #Eagles and the #Saints were also interested in the veteran QB and 2023 AP Comeback Player of the Year.
— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) March 14, 2024

Flacco’s deal with the Colts is worth up to $8.7 million, with $4.5 million guaranteed, NFL Network reported. Flacco is coming off a Comeback Player of the Year season with the Browns.

It’s unclear how much the Eagles offered Flacco but offering him a contract at all seems pretty notable. It might give some hints about how the Eagles view their own backup quarterback position.

Because right now, the Eagles have just two quarterbacks under contract: Jalen Hurts and Tanner McKee. And they’re going to have to add a third at some point — it’s just a question of what level quarterback they’re going to add.

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This offseason, Marcus Mariota left in free agency. The Eagles’ backup from the 2023 season joined the Washington Commanders on a deal that’s reportedly worth $6 million, a slight bump from the $5 million contract he had with the Eagles last year. In Washington, the Commanders are expected to draft a quarterback with the No. 2 pick and Mariota could be a stop-gap option.

The Eagles are in an interesting position because McKee was a sixth-round pick out of Standford last year and showed some really promising signs during his rookie training camp but didn't play last year and was the Eagles' emergency QB all season. If McKee is ready, the ability to have a cheap backup quarterback for three seasons is pretty appealing.

Here’s a look at McKee’s cap hits in the final three years of his rookie contract:

2024: $961,630
2025: $1,076,630
2026: $1,191,630

But the Eagles value the backup QB spot as much as any team in the NFL and have had veterans in that role every season under Sirianni. In 2021 it was Flacco and then Gardner Minshew. In 2022, it was Minshew. And in 2023 it was Mariota.

So maybe it was far-fetched to think that the Eagles would just hand over the backup quarterback job to a second-year, sixth-round pick.

There are still some veteran backups available in free agency, including Easton Stick, who played under offensive coordinator Kellen Moore with the Chargers last season. If the Eagles want a dual-threat backup again, Baltimore’s Tyler Huntley is still available. Other veterans like Ryan Tannehill, Joshua Dobbs, Jimmy Garoppolo and more are out there too.

And then there’s the trade option that has gained steam on sports talk radio this week. If the Bears are going to draft their next quarterback next month and Justin Fields becomes available for a minimal return, perhaps the Eagles would entertain that option.