The Philadelphia Eagles re-signed Nate Sudfeld on Tuesday but his contract details hardly indicate he’s guaranteed to be Carson Wentz’s backup in 2020. Sudfeld’s one-year deal is worth $2 million with just $500,000 guaranteed.
And so the Eagles might still be looking to add a more experienced backup behind Wentz. A former Super Bowl MVP with connections to Philly, perhaps?
No, I’m not talking about Nick Foles. I’m talking about Joe Flacco, whom the Denver Broncos reportedly “are expected to either release or trade [...] by week’s end.”
Before you write the idea off completely, do note that Flacco has multiple ties to the Eagles. For starters, the Audubon, New Jersey native grew up 20 minutes outside Philly and attended the University of Delaware. Flacco could have interest in returning close to home.
Beyond the local angle, Flacco could have a supporter in the Eagles’ front office in the form of Eagles vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl. Weidl was still a scout for the Baltimore Ravens when Flacco was drafted in 2008.
Weidl isn’t the only former Ravens connection to note. The Eagles also currently employ Flacco’s former quarterbacks coach (2015-2016) and offensive coordinator (2016-2018) in Marty Mornhinweg.
Mornhinweg isn’t the only former offensive coordinator connection to note. The Eagles also currently employ Flacco’s offensive coordinator from last year with the Denver Broncos in Rich Scangarello.
Of course, the Scangarello factor might actually work against the idea of an Eagles-Flacco union. The veteran quarterback openly ripped Scangarello’s play-calling at one point last season.
”It’s a 3rd-&-5 at the end of the game. Who cares if they have a timeout there at the end or not? Getting in field goal range isn’t that tough. You’re just putting your defense in these bad situations, and I just feel like, ‘What do we have to lose? Why can’t we be aggressive in some of these situations?’ That’s kind of how I feel about a lot of the game today.”
“I mean, come on. I just look at it like we’re now a 2-6 football team and we’re, like, afraid to go for it in a two-minute drill. You know? Like, who cares if you give the ball back to the guys with 1:40 left? They obviously got the field goal anyway. Once again, we’re a 2-6 football team and it just feels like we’re kind of afraid to lose the game.”
Scangarello won’t be calling plays in Philly — that responsibility belongs to Doug Pederson — but he’s still expected to have a significant voice as a “senior offensive assistant.”
One could also theorize the Mornhinweg connection works against Flacco as well. The Ravens benched their Super Bowl winning quarterback in favor of Lamar Jackson during Mornhinweg’s last season in Baltimore.
Flacco isn’t the most appetizing option regardless of his connections. He turned 35 in January and he’s coming off a season-ending neck injury. Dating back to 2018, Flacco is 6-11 in his last 17 starts. He’s completed 64% of his attempts for just 6.7 yards per attempt, 18 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and an 85.9 passer rating over that span. Whereas someone like Josh McCown embraced a mentorship role a backup last year, Flacco has previously scoffed at the idea of mentoring younger players.
Perhaps his mindset would change upon realizing there are no starting opportunities for him. And maybe he’d actually be a better option than Sudfeld given his extensive playing experience. He was once ELITE, after all.
So, what do you say, should the Eagles be targeting Flacco when the Broncos move on?