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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) throws a pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Former NFL QB has outrageous take on Eagles' Jalen Hurts, Marcus Mariota

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 12/5/23

Former NFL quarterback and current NFL Network analyst David Carr shared a shocking take on the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback situation on Tuesday night. He argued they should consider having a conversation about temporarily sitting Jalen Hurts for Marcus Mariota.

Carr's overall point is that the Eagles would be better off sitting Hurts, letting him get healthy, and taking a big-picture approach with the season.

Hurts briefly exited Sunday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers and was evaluated for a concussion before eventually returning.

In Carr's mind, having the No. 1 overall seed isn't all that important to the Eagles and it would mean more to have a healthy Hurts.

While that might be a fair point, Carr seemed to border on the outrageous when he argued that Mariota might be more productive playing quarterback for the Eagles right now. In Carr's opinion, Hurts is not good at progressing through coverages and passing from the pocket and needs to be able to make plays on the move to be fully effective. He was not able to do that on Sunday.

"I'd say he's probably better at playing quarterback for the Philadelphia @Eagles, right now he'd be more productive."@DCarr8 emphasizes Marcus Mariota should be the QB1 over Jalen Hurts. pic.twitter.com/rGgp6WZjIG
— NFL Total Access (@NFLTotalAccess) December 6, 2023

That is certainly a take. It might also be a cry for attention. Or perhaps Carr is being genuine and is simply overthinking the situation — that seems the most likely.

Whatever the case may be, it is also not something that the Eagles are ever going to seriously entertain.

Hurts is one of the leading contenders for the NFL MVP this season and is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. The Eagles are paying him a small fortune and as long as he is cleared to play, he is going to be in the lineup — as he should be. Even if he is less than 100 percent he is still better than Mariota by a landslide.

Carr's point on the No. 1 overall seed is also a little bizarre. Of course, having the No. 1 seed is going to be important and meaningful for the Eagles. Not only because it would give them home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, but also because it would give them the all-important bye week.

Yes, the 49ers just went into Philadelphia and delivered a decisive win. That is no guarantee they do it again in the playoffs and you still want to have that week off, have fewer games to win to reach the Super Bowl and not have to leave your city in the postseason.

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