Eagles wanted former Super Bowl MVP as Jalen Hurts' backup next season

The Philadelphia Eagles wanted a former Super Bowl MVP to serve as the backup quarterback behind Jalen Hurts next season.

Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco agreed to a deal with the Indianapolis Colts earlier this week, but before he did, the Eagles made an offer to bring him to Philly, according to Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press.

Flacco, the NFL's reigning Comeback Player of the Year, served as Hurts' primary backup in Philadelphia during the 2021 season, but he never appeared in a regular season game for the Eagles. The organization was clearly high enough on him to bring him back for next season, but it ultimately wasn't meant to be.

Money was likely a major motivating factor when it came to Flacco's decision to sign with Indianapolis instead of Philadelphia. Flacco's deal with the Colts is worth up to $8.7 million, with $4.5 million guaranteed. The terms of Philadelphia's offer to Flacco haven't been released, but it seems unlikely that they were willing to pay as much for Flacco's services as the Colts were.

Philadelphia still needs a backup signal-caller

They didn't land Flacco, but the Eagles still need to identify a solid backup for Hurts in the coming weeks. That is unless the team feels comfortable with having Tanner McKee in that role, which seems unlikely.

The Eagles selected McKee in the sixth round of the '23 Draft, but he didn't play a single snap for the team last season. It seems likely that the Eagles would want another quarterback with at least some professional experience on the roster.

There are still plenty of options out there in free agency for Philadelphia to consider, or the team could potentially trade for a quarterback. They've been listed as a potential landing spot for Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields.

The Eagles have already made several moves in free agency, including landing star running back Saquon Barkley. So, addressing the backup quarterback position clearly wasn't a priority. Nonetheless, it's still something that the team is ultimately going to have to figure out.