Getty Quarterback Nate Sudfeld #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie boldly claimed that Nate Sudfeld threw the best deep ball on the team. They still let him walk in free agency after the 2020 season, but lofty praise was telling. Lurie loved Sudfeld.
The former third-string quarterback spent last season with the San Francisco 49ers where he quickly moved up from the practice squad to Jimmy Garoppolo’s backup at one point. The franchise must have seen enough promise out of him because they are bringing him back in 2022.
On Thursday, Sudfeld inked a one-year, fully-guaranteed contract worth up to $3 million. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the 28-year-old had received interest from two other teams with all of them believing “he has starter potential in the league.”
This. Throw. Is. Absolutely. Absurd.
Nate Sudfeld!!
Sudfeld hasn’t seen any action since suiting up for the Eagles in a Week 17 debacle against Washington during the 2021 campaign. He went 5-for-12 and threw for 32 yards in that one while chucking one interception and taking two sacks. That turned out to be the final game of the Doug Pederson era in Philly. Afterward, Lurie defended the decision to insert Sudfeld by mentioning how good he had looked in practice.
“The whole idea was to establish Nate as our long-term backup, is he a potential starter in the league, and how good is Nate, because he’s awfully good in practice,” Lurie told reporters on January 11, 2021. “And then we tendered him a second-round exclusive rights designation worth millions of dollars and therefore, it just showed where we thought he was both as a quarterback and as a teammate.”
But Sudfeld flunked his only true regular-season test. The Eagles finished 4-11-1 and the organization took heat for intentionally trying to lose to secure a better draft pick. Which they did. DeVonta Smith was the reward.
Trey Lance mentioned Nate Sudfeld as a valuable mentor to him this season in the 49ers’ QB room, specifically when it came to imparting wisdom about the business of the NFL.
These details matter when the franchise QB is 21 years old. Might’ve partly earned Sudfeld a big raise
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49ers QB Situation Remains Unsettled
No one knows how things are going to play out in San Francisco at the quarterback position. Garoppolo remains the starter, but it’s far from a given he’ll be out there in Week 1. They used the third overall pick on Trey Lance last year with the intention of turning the keys over to him in the near future.
#49ers practice observations:
Trey Lance QB1, Nate Sudfeld QB2, Tyler Bray QB3, Jimmy Garoppolo (thumb) in locker room
RBs full: Mitchell, Sermon (IR) with Wilson, Hasty, Hill and even Deebo in initial drills
Nick Bosa practicing; rested previous Wednesdays
TrentW, Mack rest
Lance did get two starts under his belt as a rookie while seeing snaps in six total games in a gadget-type role. With trade rumors swirling around Garoppolo, the future could be now for Lance. That leaves two options for Sudfeld: either beat the kid out in training camp or accept a cushy gig as Lance’s backup. It’s a pretty good spot to be in for the former sixth-round pick out of Indiana.
First career NFL TD pass for @NateSudfeld!
Jalen Hurts Enjoys Sixers-Nets Game
Eagles starter Jalen Hurts took in the Nets-Sixers game on Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center. It was the controversial return of diva guard Ben Simmons who didn’t play due to injury. Simmons sat on the bench and heard a loud chorus of boos and “F*** Ben Simmons” chants all evening. And Hurts was sitting front row to take it all in. The Nets beat the Sixers 129-100.
Nice ovation for Jalen Hurts here at WFC tonight