When the New York Jets signed Joe Flacco earlier this week, it was discovered that the Philadelphia Eagles were interested in signing him early in free agency. However, according to Sirius XM Radio's Adam Caplan, Philadelphia ‘backed off' on signing Flacco due to his neck injury.
Both sides had off/on talks for weeks, but got the agreement done today. #Eagles had interest early in free agency, but backed off before the draft. https://t.co/Jdgi6OUZIQ
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) May 22, 2020
Last season, Flacco's first year with the Denver Broncos was cut short after suffering a season-ending neck injury. The veteran signal-caller underwent surgery in April and was given a timetable to return in August or September. That would put him on track to be ready for beginning of the 2020 NFL season.
Nevertheless, the Eagles were searching for a reliable quarterback behind Carson Wentz. With Nate Sudfeld and Kyle Lauletta as the only other quarterbacks on the roster, Philadelphia knew they needed to upgrade their backup quarterback position.
Given that, they set their sights on adding one of the veterans available in free agency. Flacco, who turned 35 years old this year, would have given the Eagles a formidable backup to Wentz. But with Flacco dealing with a neck injury, Philadelphia didn't want to take the risk of signing him.
As a result, Flacco ended up signing with the Jets nearly two months after free agency began. On the other hand, the Eagles ended up selecting Jalen Hurts with the No. 53 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
While some were curious about the decision, Philadelphia undoubtedly plans on having Hurts assume the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. If Flacco wasn't recovering from neck surgery, it would've been less likely for Hurts to end up with the Eagles.
Follow Us
Subscribe