How did the Eagles win Super Bowl 59 and 52, appear in a conference-leading eight championship games since 2001, be victorious in 20 postseason games over the same span, and still manage to net valuable draft capital back? Allow me to introduce you to the amazing Philadelphia Quarterback Factory!
The Factory
The genesis of the factory begins with the hiring of Head Coach Andy Reid in 1999.
As a former offensive line coach (Andy spent nine years coaching the offensive line in college with four different teams, and another five in the NFL with Green Bay), he brought an emphasis on building a team through the trenches.
However, Reid was also a student of the game, having been so since he was a teenager.
It’s been written that BYU head coach LaVell Edwards allowed Reid to be a member of the BYU team to help persuade and recruit his best friend, Randy Tidwell, to the Cougars.
Andy went along for the ride, and despite his teammates recalling that he did not play very often, he was very engaged and closely studied Edwards and the offensive coordinator, especially the development of the QBs.
Long before Howie Roseman uttered his now-famous QB factory phrase, BYU was known for being a “QB factory”. The program produced former Eagles Jim McMahon (Andy’s teammate) and Ty Detmer, as well as Steve Young and Marc Wilson. It also gave Andy knowledge that he took with him to the NFL.
Two years before arriving in Philadelphia, Reid was working as a quarterbacks coach with the Packers, teaching All-Pro Brett Favre and also Super Bowl-winning Eagles HC Doug Pederson.
Reid brought an infatuation with the QB position with him to Philadelphia, honed by a labor of love that he had learned years earlier.
Having an elite QB, as well as capable backups in the QB room who promote healthy competition while also supporting one another, became a core belief that lasted well beyond Andy’s time with the team.
Many of Andy’s imprints and philosophies are still all over this team today.
And much like Andy Reid in BYU before him, Howie absorbed information, strategy, and philosophies from Andy that live on towards their quest for another championship today.
This is a rundown of the Eagles’ Quarterbacks that have been drafted since Andy Reid became the Head Coach of Philadelphia, and I also added one that the franchise traded for (Sam Bradford) due to the large compensation they received after showcasing his talents for one season in the City of Brotherly Love.
The Quarterbacks:
Donovan McNabb- Drafted 1999
McNabb was drafted with much fanfare as the 2nd overall pick in the 1999 draft. Well, not really. Most fans wanted Ricky Williams, but I digress.
After 11 seasons, 9 playoff wins, including 5 trips to the NFC Championship game (3 at home), and one Super Bowl appearance, he had won over all of his doubters and is now viewed as the greatest player in Eagles history.
Well, once again, not really. The then-named Washington Redskins still had a lot of hope in his declining ability and they traded for him in April of 2010.
The Eagles’ return was a 2nd-round pick (37th overall) in the 2010 NFL draft and a 4th-round pick in 2011.
A.J. Feeley- Drafted 2001
The beginning of the factory drafting players and trading them for assets.
The Eagles drafted AJ in the 5th round of the 2001 draft. He spent his rookie season as the 3rd-string QB behind both Donovan and fan favorite, Koy Detmer. He saw his only action in the season finale, but was going to be asked to do a lot more in his sophomore year.
In 2002, both McNabb and Koy suffered injuries, which forced AJ into duty. The Eagles were 8–3 at the time and making a push for the number one seed in the NFC. Feeley went 4–0 down the stretch, preserving the one seed while also showing enough for other teams to have interest in acquiring him.
Despite not playing at all in 2003, the Miami Dolphins had already seen enough talent in his limited play and made a trade for Feeley in March 2004.
The Eagles’ return was a 2nd round pick in the 2005 draft.
Andy Hall- Drafted 2004
I am sure many people are asking, Who? Drafted in the sixth round of the 2004 draft from Delaware. He was with Philadelphia in 2004 and allocated to Germany to play with the Rhein Fire of the NFL Europe league.
No return.
Kevin Kolb- Drafted 2007
In 2007, the Birds were once again looking for a backup/replacement for Donovan McNabb. This time, they drafted Kevin Kolb in the 2nd round. McNabb did not like the Eagles using a second-round pick on a QB, and it strained the relationship between him and the head coach. Sound familiar?
Kolb was promoted to 2nd string QB during the 2008 season but didn’t start a game until 2009. At this point, the Eagles were becoming wary of McNabb as the starter, and by season’s end, it seemed apparent Donovan would be on the way out.
In April of 2010, the relationship between McNabb and the Eagles had dissolved to the point where he was shipped to a division rival, and Kevin was named the starter. Unfortunately for Kolb, in his debut that year versus the Green Bay Packers, he sustained a concussion and ultimately lost his job to backup Mike Vick. He would only play in a few more games for the Eagles organization.
Much like the Dolphins and Feeley before them, the Arizona Cardinals had seen enough of Kolb to become infatuated and made a trade for him during the summer of 2011.
The Eagles’ return was Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2nd round pick in the 2012 NFL draft.
Mike Kafka- Drafted 2010
Kafka is not only an Andy Reid draft pick, but he is also a disciple in his coaching tree, currently the assistant Head Coach and offensive coordinator of the New York Giants. He was with the Eagles for two seasons and was released before the start of the 2012 season.
No return.
Nick Foles- Drafted 2012
When Nick Foles was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2012 draft, Andy Reid was in his final season in Philadelphia and was once again drafting a QB for the future.
Foles performed well during the pre-season, and some thought he should be the starter over Mike Vick to begin the year. But Nick only started 6 games down the stretch, and only after Vick was injured.
2013 brought a new head coach to Philadelphia, Chip Kelly, and another competition for the starting QB job. Foles performed well in the pre-season again, but began the year as Mike’s backup, again.
Vick struggled during the season, and Foles eventually took over the job after Mike sustained a hamstring injury. Foles went on to go 8–3 over the rest of the season, throwing for an impressive 27 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. He also led the Eagles to a home playoff game. The legend of Nick was beginning.
Nick only played 8 games in 2014 after breaking his collarbone.
But, once again, a team had seen enough of another Eagle’s QB to make a trade. This time, the St Louis Rams were up to bat. Foles was traded before the 2015 draft.
The Eagles’ return was Sam Bradford and a 5th-round pick for Foles, a 2015 4th-rounder, and a 2016 2nd-round draft pick.
Nick would be brought back a couple of years later, as a backup once again, where he led the Eagles to Super Bowl glory and cemented himself into Philadelphia history both figuratively and literally.
Matt Barkley- Drafted 2013
The Eagles selected Barkley in round four of the 2013 NFL Draft. He never started a game and was traded to the Arizona Cardinals on September 4, 2015.
Compensation, a 2016 7th-round draft pick.
Sam Bradford- Traded for in 2015
Even though Bradford was not drafted, I included him in the Factory due to the compensation the Eagles received after increasing his value.
Despite signing a 2-year $36 million contract extension on March 1, 2016, Bradford played only one year for the Eagles, starting 14 games while finishing with a 7–7 record during the 2015 season.
The Minnesota Vikings were a team many thought could win the Super Bowl in 2016 until their starting QB, Teddy Bridgewater, suffered a season-ending ACL tear a week before opening day. In an act of desperation to keep their championship aspirations alive, they made a trade for Sammy Sleeves.
The Eagles’ return was the Vikings’ 2017 first-round pick and a conditional 4th in the 2018 draft.
Carson Wentz- Drafted 2016
Carson was drafted number two overall in the 2016 NFL draft with the expectation of being a backup for Sam Bradford. When the aforementioned trade of Bradford to the Vikings went down, Carson was named the starter.
Wentz started all 16 games that season, and the Birds finished with a 9–7 record. Carson was showing major improvement during the season, but nobody could have predicted the leap he was about to take in 2017. Much like the 2022 season, 2017 was a fun ride from the beginning.
Carson was having one of the best regular seasons by a QB in Eagles history and was the likely MVP of the league until he sustained a season-ending knee injury after leading the team to an 11–2 record over the 13 games he started.
Unfortunately for him, it was the beginning of a plethora of injuries and frustration.
Carson’s backup, Nick Foles, who returned to Philadelphia after a 3-year hiatus, led the Eagles to their first Lombardi trophy and would seemingly shine in every game Carson was injured. The Eagles stayed the course with Carson and gave him a 4-year, $128 million contract extension in June of 2019, but eventually, their disagreements and Carson’s ineffectiveness would take their toll.
The Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts in the 2nd round of the 2020 NFL draft, which caused Carson to feel the same way McNabb did 13 years before him.
The damage was irreparable, and Wentz was traded to Indianapolis in February 2021.
The Eagles return a 2022 1st-round pick (16 overall) and a 2021 3rd-round pick (84 overall) from the Colts.
Nick Foles part Deux- Free Agent 2017
Nick returned to Philadelphia in 2017 as a free agent. His success during his second tenure with the Eagles is well documented. We all know Foles won playoff games and a Super Bowl, and despite outplaying the oft-injured Carson Wentz, we all know he was relegated to a backup during the 2019 season.
The Super Bowl MVP declined his option, making him a free agent.
The Eagles’ return was a 2020 compensatory 3rd-round pick.
Clayton Thorson- Drafted 2019
Clayton was drafted in round five of the 2019 NFL Draft and was waived before the season started during final cuts. Ouch!
No Return.
Jalen Hurts- Drafted 2020
Jalen Hurts, the player drafted, who had Howie saying his famous QB factory quote.
“For better or worse, we are quarterback developers. We want to be a quarterback factory.”
And as history shows, they have.
The selection of Jalen Hurts, especially after extending Carson Wentz to a large contract, was a hotly debated and scrutinized pick. Time has proven it was the correct decision to keep the QB factory rolling. Hurts is the only QB in Eagles history to play in two Super Bowls.
Tanner McKee- Drafted 2023
McKee was selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He started one game in 2024 and defeated the Giants. He threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles moved on from Kenny Pickett after the Super Bowl-winning season, and Tanner is now the clear-cut number two on the Eagles’ QB depth chart.
Kyle McCord- Drafted 2025
The Eagles selected McCord in the sixth round in the 2025 NFL Draft, after putting up the best numbers of his career at Syracuse. The Ohio State transfer is from Mt Laurel, New Jersey, and played High School football in Philadelphia at St Joe’s Prep.
The Results:
12 Quarterbacks Drafted (averaging one drafted every other year)
20 Postseason Wins
8 NFC Championship Games
4 Super Bowl Appearances
2 Super Bowl Titles
Final Thoughts:
While the QB Factory has been largely ridiculed, the results have been an overwhelming success. The QB factory may be the greatest creation in the Eagles’ history. Who would have thought that one of the most honest statements that ever left Howie Roseman’s lips would become so influential to the success of the organization?
Instead of laughing, more teams should have been emulating. Maybe, Howie Roseman ends another season with the last laugh.
As always, thank you for reading!
Follow me on X @PHLEagleNews
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
