FRIDAY, 8:04am: The Eagles have officially signed Sanchez to a one-year deal, according to the team. As Mike Garafolo first reported (via Twitter), the contract will be worth up to a max of $4MM, with a base value of about half that amount. Rich Cimini tweets that the base value is $2.25MM.
THURSDAY, 6:50pm: The deal is done, league sources tell Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets that the quarterback passed his physical. It should only be a matter of time until we learn the contract details.
12:13pm: The Eagles and Sanchez have now agreed to terms, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), so it should just be a matter of time before the deal is official.
11:21am: After several reports earlier this week indicated the Eagles were strong frontrunners to land Mark Sanchez, the ex-Jet will indeed sign with Philadelphia today, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports confirms (via Twitter) that “everything has checked out” for Sanchez, who is recovering from shoulder surgery. While Garafolo clarifies that the deal isn’t finalized yet, he says it’s just a matter of time (Twitter link).
Sanchez, a former fifth overall pick, spent four seasons as the Jets’ full-time starter before giving way to Geno Smith in 2013. While he set career-highs with a 56.7% completion percentage, 3,474 passing yards, and 26 passing TDs in 2011, Sanchez regressed in 2012, with those numbers dipping to 54.3%, 2,883, and 13, respectively. After missing the 2013 season with a shoulder injury, the 27-year-old was released by the Jets before receiving an offseason roster bonus.
Once news broke that the Jets would be cutting Sanchez, reports linked a handful of teams to the veteran signal-caller, with the Giants, Rams, Browns, and Titans among the clubs said to have some interest. However, subsequent reports downplayed the interest from many of those teams, leaving Philadelphia as the only clear-cut suitor for the former USC Trojan.
By signing with the Eagles, Sanchez will be replacing the man that replaced him in New York, taking over Michael Vick‘s role as Philadelphia’s No. 2 quarterback behind Nick Foles. Fellow USC product Matt Barkley will also be in the QB mix for the Eagles.
With Sanchez off the market, the list of quarterbacks still on the market looks fairly sparse. Josh Freeman is the most notable name in a group that also includes Matt Flynn, Rex Grossman, David Carr, and Dan Orlovsky.
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