With the Carson Wentz trade now official, the Philadelphia Eagles were in the market for a quarterback who could at least serve as a viable No. 2 to Jalen Hurts. On Tuesday, the Eagles found just that in the veteran Joe Flacco, who they signed to a one-year deal. On paper, the 36-year-old Super Bowl champion appears to be the kind of mentor the Eagles would want for their second-year signal-caller, but when meeting with reporters on Thursday, Flacco said he wasn't signed to be an assistant coach, he was signed to compete.
Flacco told reporters that his role isn't necessarily to mentor Hurts, and that it comes naturally when competing with your teammates.
"Your goal as a football player is to show people around you that you can play football," Flacco said, according to Martin Frank of the Delaware News Journal.
Flacco served as the starter during his 11 years with the Baltimore Ravens and then one year with the Denver Broncos, but took a backup role with the New York Jets in 2020. Even as the No. 2, he played in five games with four starts and threw for 864 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions.
As for Hurts, he played in 15 games during his rookie season with four starts. He completed 52 percent of his passes for 1,061 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions while going 1-3 as the starter. He also rushed for 354 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the only quarterback since 1950 to throw for over 800 yards and rush for over 200 yards in his first three starts. The Eagles do hold the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but it appears the quarterback job is his for this upcoming season.
Flacco was asked "the mentor question" in at least three different ways, according to Mike Kaye of NJ.com, but his responses weren't exactly what reporters were looking for.
"I think every quarterback room, guys help each other," Flacco said, via Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation. "That's what we're here for. That's what the whole team does. So, I'm going to do my part, and we're going to win a lot of football games. And part of that is getting in the QB room, grinding and helping each other out."
Maybe the best way to mentor a young quarterback is to compete, which is something Flacco says he is set on doing.
