Mark Sanchez revitalized his career during eight starts in Philadelphia last season. After one day to survey the free agent market, Sanchez decided that he was better off staying wrapped in Chip Kelly's loving embrace.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports that Sanchez is headed back to Philadelphia on a two-year contract, according to a source. He will make $9 million in base salary over the two seasons, with $5.5 million guaranteed. He could earn up to $16 million if he hits all of his incentives.
This makes a ton of sense for both sides. The Eagles have Nick Foles in place, but they appeared likely to add a veteran and a rookie to their quarterback competition for 2015. Sanchez and Jake Locker were the two best free agents available, and Sanchez has a head start on learning Kelly's system.
Sanchez's salary is not prohibitive. This should not affect Philadelphia's draft plans one iota. If Kelly truly wants to move up to take former Oregon Duck Marcus Mariota, Kelly won't hold off because he's paying Mark Sanchez the same amount of money that Matt Moore and Chad Henne made the last few seasons. The entire Eagles QB room makes about half of what Jay Cutler does in a season.
The larger question is whether Foles will also be back in Philadelphia. With Sanchez in place, perhaps Foles could be used in any potential draft day trade to pick up a signal caller. Sanchez still made plenty of mistakes running the show in Philadelphia, but he proved he could move the ball against most defenses.
If Kelly can't land his draft prize at quarterback, his fallback options are now in place.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast breaks down the Brandon Marshall trade and plays another game of "Go Get My Lunch." Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
