Atlanta Falcons Ex Marcus Mariota 'Would Be Better' Than Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Hurts, Says Former QB

“Marcus Mariota would be better and more productive right now for the Eagles than Jalen Hurts,” David Carr said.

Former Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback Marcus Mariota has drawn praise recently…or perhaps a more fitting analysis is that current Philadelphia Eagles starter Jalen Hurts recent play has created doubt.

NFL football analyst David Carr raised some eyebrows after a recent hot take of his regarding the quarterback situation in Philadelphia.

“Marcus Mariota would be better and more productive right now for the Eagles than Jalen Hurts,” Carr said.

“Marcus Mariota would be better and more productive right now for the Eagles than Jalen Hurts” - David Carr

as accurate a take as a Derek Carr red zone passpic.twitter.com/8bFj2Cg5P8

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 6, 2023

That quote may sound blasphemous, considering that Hurts is coming off of a second-team All-Pro season where he nearly won the Super Bowl. Nevertheless, Carr defended it by explaining that his analysis was driven by the fact that in order for Philadelphia to contend for a Super Bowl, Hurts needs to be fully healthy. 

Last week versus the San Francisco 49ers, the Eagles got blown out and handed its team a second loss. After the loss, some speculated that perhaps Hurts isn't operating at 100 percent health.

But is Mariota really the answer? Carr sounded confident that the former Falcons signal-caller still has a few wins left in him if asked to start.

Marcus Mariota / © Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

In reality, Atlanta went 5-8 during Mariota’s time starting for the Falcons. Yes, Mariota is one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the league, and Philadelphia’s defense is much better than the Falcons a season ago. However, Mariota was considered a cut candidate by NFL.com just a few months ago.

”After two lackluster preseason outings and a series of rough camp reports, Mariota’s job feels at risk,” NFL.com wrote before the season started.

Perhaps resting Hurts would improve his health down the stretch and the Eagles’ future, but there’s also a good chance that Philly would rather keep an MVP talent playing for the entire season rather than essentially concede the top spot in the NFC playoffs. 

After all, there’s a reason why Atlanta chose to move on from Mariota; he simply hasn’t looked like someone an NFL team can rely on in recent years.

BREAKING: Falcons Ex Hurst Suffers Serious Head Injury