Four Quarterbacks the Eagles Can Acquire to Replace Jalen Hurts
The Philadelphia Eagles were bounced from the playoffs on Sunday thanks to a 31-15 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. One thing that became clear throughout that game is that Jalen Hurts is not ready for prime time as a quarterback. This offseason, the Eagles could look to level up at the position if they don't see Hurts' upside.
Philadelphia owns three first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft -- No.'s 15, 16 and 19 -- and five overall selections in the first 83. They have the ammunition to trade for a top-flight signal caller. What follows is a list of three quarterbacks the Eagles could trade for this offseason.
Russell Wilson
The Seattle Seahawks went 7-10 and were a mess this year. There are whispers the franchise might hit the reset button this offseason. Russell Wilson has already made noise about wanting to be traded. It wouldn't be surprising if that popped up again.
The Seahawks don't have a first-round pick this year thanks to the ill-fated Jamal Adams trade. They need picks if they're going to rebuild following a 7-10 campaign. Philadelphia has young, athletic receivers and appears ready to take things to the next level. There's a fit here if the Eagles can push hard enough.
Deshaun Watson
The seemingly endless Deshaun Watson saga has to end at some point and no one thinks he'll play a down for the Houston Texans again. He's an extremely talented quarterback, and if his legal woes get resolved, he'll be playing somewhere in the NFL again. Why not Philly?
Watson is better than Hurts in every way. He's a three-time Pro Bowler who appeared to be improving every season until his career was derailed by sexual misconduct allegations and he sat out the entire 2021 season. The Texans will eventually move him and a package of picks like the Eagles can offer is the kind of deal they'll be looking for. It makes sense for both sides.
Again, this is obviously all assuming he somehow sorts out all of that legal trouble.
Kirk Cousins
The Minnesota Vikings are another team that looks ready to hit the reset button. Mike Zimmer has been fired and they could decide to move Kirk Cousins to help facilitate the change.
Cousins put up solid numbers this year but had an uneven season. Some new scenery could make things better for him. He completed 66.3 percent of his passes in 2021 for 4,221 yards, with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His passer rating of 103.1 was excellent, but his QBR of 52.0 ranked 15th in the league.
Cousins would be an upgrade over Hurts and likely wouldn't cost the kind of draft capital Wilson or Watson would, but is equally as expensive cap-wise.
Jimmy Garoppolo
Jimmy Garoppolo had a solid second half of the season to help guide the San Francisco 49ers to the playoffs. He's obviously not the future in San Francisco after the Niners selected Trey Lance with the third pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Garoppolo has one year left on his contract and the 49ers will likely look to get a return for him instead of losing him for nothing after next season.
Garoppolo has shown he can win games at the NFL level if he's surrounded by good players. The Eagles have talent on the lines and on the perimeter. At the very least he'd provide some competition for Hurts and possibly make him step up his game. He'd come slightly cheaper than other options and has consistently won at the NFL level (33-14 as a starting quarterback) when he isn't sidelined by injury.
He's yet another low-cost option that could provide some upside for the Eagles.