Getty Former Seahawks QB Jacob Eason is signing with the Giants.
A former Seattle Seahawks quarterback is signing with the New York Giants prior to their final regular season game.
Jacob Eason — who spent time as the Seahawks’ backup quarterback during the 2021 season — is re-signing with the Giants’ practice squad, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Eason had spent a month on the Giants’ practice squad earlier in the season before being released in December.
“Giants re-sign QB Jacob Eason to the practice squad,” Raanan wrote on Thursday, January 4. “Seems like a contingency. Tyrod Taylor (back) was listed as limited on the injury report.”
Jacob Eason Has Seen Limited Playing Time During NFL Career
The 26-year-old Eason has become a journeyman quarterback early on in his NFL career. After being selected with a fourth-round draft pick during the 2020 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, Eason has bounced around from team to team.
Following his release from the Colts midway through the 2021 season, Eason landed with the Seahawks following a mid-season injury to Russell Wilson. He served in a backup role until the conclusion of the 2021 season before he was released during roster cuts prior to the start of the 2022 season.
Since then, Eason has had stints with the Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers and the Giants.
Despite bouncing around from team to team, Eason has barely seen any playing time, going 5-for-10 for 84 yards and two interceptions in two games.
Eason’s signing with the Giants’ practice squad has mostly to due with starter Tyrod Taylor’s injury. Tommy DeVito is currently the backup quarterback and would see playing time against the Philadelphia Eagles if Taylor is forced out of the game.
Jacob Eason Was Once Top QB Prospect in Class of 2016
While Eason has had a less-than-stellar career in the NFL, he was once a highly-touted quarterback. The 6-foot-6 quarterback was considered the top quarterback prospect coming out of high school back in 2016. Eason was so highly touted that he was courted and received offers from big programs such as the Florida Gators, Miami Hurricanes, Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida State Seminoles. He eventually committed to the Georgia Bulldogs.
He spent his freshman season in 2016 as the starting quarterback and entered the 2017 campaign as the starter. However, an injury in the season opener and Jake Fromm’s emergence — Fromm led the Bulldogs to the National Championship Game following Eason’s injury — led to Eason losing the starting job for good. Shortly after, Eason would transfer to the Washington Huskies.
While his collegiate career certainly never lived up to his billing coming out of high school, Eason still had high expectations entering the NFL draft. As Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote in his scouting report of Eason back in 2020, his NFL comparison was none other than former No. 1 overall pick and three-time Pro Bowler Carson Palmer. Although Zierlein writes of Eason’s lack of mobility and effectiveness when pressured, he projected him as a second-round draft selection.
“His elite size and arm talent are reminiscent of Carson Palmer, but issues with pocket poise and getting through progressions cleanly are more reminiscent of Brock Osweiler,” wrote Zierlein. “Eason is fun to watch when he’s ripping throws around the field and taking deep play-action shots, but a lack of mobility inside and outside the pocket is troubling, considering his ineffectiveness when pressured.”
Obviously, Eason hasn’t lived up to those expectations. If the Giants keep him around for next season, maybe the former five-star prospect will finally get a chance to start his first game.