Do Not Trade For Marcus Mariota
No. You are not turning back the clock to 2015. Sal Pal is not on the air saying “DO THE DEAL.” Chip Kelly is not the head coach. The Eagles are not trying to get from 20 to 2. All of that is a good thing. The Eagles decided against mortgaging the future and trading up 18 spots in the draft to take the Oregon QB. They should do it again.
The Eagles franchise is entering a tempest. This is not the rebuild we saw in 2016 when Doug Pederson. This team is old, expensive, and devoid of talent. the cost of poor drafting and expensive contracts has finally caught up to the franchise. They have decided to usher in the Jalen Hurts era….we think.
Thats what should happen. They should usher in the Jalen Hurts era. They spent a (questionable?) second round pick on the former Alabama/Oklahoma quarterback, eventually handing over the keys to the kingdom after 12 games. It signaled the end of the Carson Wentz era, and he was eventually sent packing to Indianapolis.
Its not like Jalen Hurts wowed Eagles fans. In fact, most people were less than impressed. Not all, but most. He shocked the NFL by beating a much better Saints team in his first career start, but his second half numbers were some of the worst in the NFL. Teams started to figure him out, throwing different looks at the rookie, and in turn Hurts didnt really live up to the task. So maybe in a normal circumstance considering trading for Marcus Mariota would make sense. But this team is not in a normal situation. This team is like the dog in the burning building say “this is fine.”
The Eagles just set themselves up for a quarterback competition one calendar year ago. A situation no team wants. Thats what made the decision to draft Hurts extremely puzzling in the first place. They created a controversy they didnt need and they wondered “how in the world did we get here?” Carson Wentz clearly didnt respond well to the competition. He was arguably the worst quarterback in the NFL last year. But learn from your mistake!
They dont need another quarterback controversy. And dont get it twisted, thats exactly what this would be. I think most fans at this point recognize what Marcus Mariota is. A very good backup that could serve as a quasi Nick Foles type for a team looking to win now and want an insurance policy. The Eagles arent that.
The Eagles need to go ALL IN on Hurts. Because if Hurts falters, then there will be a sect of the fan base who will be screaming for Mariota. Even though the team isn’t going to win a Super Bowl, this sect will just want the instant gratification. And part of me wouldn’t blame them. No one likes watching bad football. Its why Jacksonville doesnt really have a fan base. But if Hurts were to struggle in a game, or two, or three, there will be certain fans CONVINCED that the Eagles can revive Mariota’s career like the Tennessee Titans did for Ryan Tannehill.
The Eagles are actually in a good spot with Hurts. IF he were to struggle next year and show that he ISNT the guy, then that’s going to lead to great draft position. A position that will likely be top 5. A spot where you are in a position to take one of the first quarterbacks off the board in the 2021 year.
IF he shows improvements. Shows he IS the guy, then that’s one less position you have to deal with BUT the team is still devoid of talent so they go from a top 5 pick to a top 10 pick. Its a win win. But that all is contingent on the Eagles being all in on Jalen Hurts.
The Eagles, as i’ve said twice already, are devoid of talent. They are in cap hell. They have an opportunity to get an influx of young talent into the system with their 9 draft picks that they have. So what sense does it make to give away draft picks, aka cheap talent, for a mediocre quarterback that MAY be an upgrade over your current situation, but not enough to actually win you anything. It doesn’t.
The Eagles need to stay the course. Stick with the plan. Find out what they have in Jalen Hurts. Not create another quarterback competition because they view themselves as a quarterback factory. That doesn’t include trading assets for Marcus Mariota. DONT DO THE DEAL
