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The Philadelphia Eagles have some decisions to make at quarterback after this season. Sam Bradford is scheduled to be a free agent and he hasn't played well enough to warrant a long-term extension. Mark Sanchez is under contract for the 2016 season but he's a backup at most. The Eagles are currently projected to have the No. 14 pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, so it's possible the Eagles could find a quarterback there, but it's far from guaranteed.
One option that has drawn speculation is a move for fallen 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Peter King of The MMQB writes that some league personnel have already identified Philadelphia as a top potential landing spot for the embattled San Francisco passer.
Obviously the likely scenario, with Kaepernick’s deal not being guaranteed in San Francisco beyond next April 1, is for the Niners to either trade him or cut him and move on to the next quarterback prospect. I doubt San Francisco will be able to make a trade, because who’s going to want to pay Kaepernick a total of $13.9 million next year when they’re not sure he can be their quarterback of the short- or long-term? I talked to a few league people over the weekend about possible landing spots for Kaepernick, and the ones that seem to make the most sense, in order:
1. Philadelphia. If Chip Kelly is, as expected, still the coach, he’ll need a quarterback with his QB depth chart a disastrous minefield right now.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport recently reported that three teams tried to trade for Kaepernick prior to the 2015 NFL trade deadline, but the quarterback's contract made deals prohibitive. While it's unclear if the Eagles were one of those teams, it is worth nothing Philadelphia reportedly had interest in Kaepernick in March 2015.
The 28-year-old Kaepernick is hardly a slam dunk option at quarterback. He's combined for 25 passing touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and 13 fumbles since the start of the 2014 season. His career completion percentage sits at 59.9%. His career passer rating is 88.4. Kaepernick does provide added value thanks to his mobility, but Chip Kelly hasn't really shown a ton of interest in mobile quarterbacks since being hired in Philadelphia.
The Eagles aren't bound to have a lot of great options at quarterback this offseason. This is a situation at least worth keeping an eye on.