Kenny Pickett’s fit with the Eagles, the Flyers’ stamina for the stretch run, and other thoughts

First and final thoughts …

For an NFL team, the process of settling on a backup quarterback never solely comes down to the quality and profile of the backup quarterback … or the quality and profile of the starting quarterback. It would be convenient if it did. Match the young, promising prospect with the grizzled, savvy veteran. Match a mobile No. 1 QB with a mobile No. 2 QB. Match a pocket passer with a pocket passer. Match the established starter with a capable clipboard-holder whose presence won’t foster controversy.

Of course, in a salary-cap league, nothing is ever that convenient. Nothing is ever that easy. Unless a team stumbles into drafting or acquiring an all-time all-timer — a Mahomes, a Brady, a Peyton Manning — the most effective cheat code for building a Super Bowl-caliber team comes down to this: Get elite performance from an inexpensive quarterback — usually, this quarterback is still on his rookie contract — while using the remaining ample cap space to surround him with plenty of talent. This was the formula that the Eagles followed in winning Super Bowl LII and reaching LVII, and it extended to their backups as well. Nick Foles counted just $1.6 million against the cap in 2017-18, and Gardner Minshew’s cap number in 2022-23 was $2.54 million, according to the database Overthecap.com.

The Eagles aren’t in that situation, not anymore. Under the terms of the contract extension Jalen Hurts signed last year, his cap number jumps to $13.6 million this season. And even with the 2024 per-team cap figure increasing to $255.4 million, giving each club an additional $30 million to spend, Hurts will still account for 5.2% of the Eagles’ spending power, more than twice as much as he did in 2023.

Once you acknowledge those financial circumstances, you can understand how and why the Eagles ended up trading three draft picks, two of which were seventh-rounders, to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Kenny Pickett.

Yes, the Eagles were reportedly willing to pay a little more to sign Joe Flacco, but Flacco represented the ideal kind of backup for them. At 39, he wouldn’t have a realistic challenge to Hurts, but as he proved last season with the Browns, he could still step in and win a game or two if Hurts happened to be sidelined with an injury. What’s more, given that Hurts’ leadership has come into some question in the aftermath of the Eagles’ seven-week collapse, Flacco would have had the credibility to advise and/or mentor him if necessary.

» READ MORE: Mike Sielski: Jason Kelce ended his Eagles career with a speech that was raw and real and completely him

As it turned out, the Indianapolis Colts were willing to give Flacco a one-year deal that could be worth as much as $8.7 million, and it’s no coincidence that their prospective starter, Anthony Richardson, is still on his rookie deal. Hurts isn’t, but Pickett is; he’ll count less than $2 million against the Eagles’ cap this season. He also is unlikely to get anyone inside or outside the Eagles’ locker room wondering whether the team would be better off if he was playing and Hurts wasn’t … at least not until he outduels the league’s best quarterback and best head coach in the Super Bowl. If that happens, all bets are off.

The Flyers have lost three of their last four games, including blowouts to the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs, and there has to be some concern that their surprising grip on a playoff spot might be loosening.

“At this time of year, you’ve got to be ready to play,” forward Scott Laughton told reporters after the loss to Toronto. “You can’t just go out there and put your stick on the ice and hope for the best. Last three games haven’t been good enough. Even against San Jose, we get a win, but just not good enough at this time of year, especially in this stretch we’re in. Everyone’s got to look in the mirror here and figure out what we need to do collectively as a group here to get better, especially on home ice. It’s just not good enough. It’s not hard enough.”

Laughton was right, but his comments get to the heart of the Flyers’ greatest challenge over their final 14 regular-season games. They win, generally, by playing harder, smarter, and tougher than their opponents, and they have to play that way because they lack the high-end talent that many of those opponents have. It’s a taxing style, though, and it’s fair to wonder whether the Flyers will have enough juice left to finish off this feel-good season with a postseason berth.

» READ MORE: Jeff Neiburg: It was Friday night at the Big East Tournament, and it was fair to wonder when Villanova would be back

The Big East tournament is the best event in college basketball, in large part because of the setting and history of Madison Square Garden and the presence and passion of the teams’ fan bases. And the only disappointment in this year’s tournament (aside from Villanova’s unsightly performance against DePaul) was that Providence lost to Marquette in Friday night’s second semifinal game. The prospect of UConn’s and Providence’s fans … mingling … during Saturday’s championship would have been too delicious for words.