When Nick Foles won a Super Bowl for the Eagles it put Philadelphia in a great but awkward position. The quarterback they won the Super Bowl with wasn’t the one they had planned to build around for their future. He was the backup. A contingency plan. He just also happened to be the perfect contingency plan. He even managed to once again help an injured Eagles team reach the playoffs this past season after Carson Wentz went down once again with an injury.
But the Eagles couldn’t hold on to Foles as a backup forever. At some point, they had to decide if he was going to be their new franchise QB or if they were going to let him go prove himself elsewhere. They have chosen the latter and it appears Foles next destination is already almost decided.
According to Les Bowen of The Inquirer in Philadelphia, the only team showing real interest in Foles before NFL Free Agency begins on March 13 are the Jacksonville Jaguars.
A market for Nick Foles outside of Jacksonville has not developed, and though nothing is certain until it is official, the Jaguars absolutely expect to sign Foles, sources said. They have been working on the structure of a contract, as the Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reported. As McLane also reported, it might not place Foles among the league’s highest-paid QBs, since the Jags appear to be the only bidder.
Foles seems like the perfect fit for the Jaguars. Jacksonville is coming off a very disappointing season due to a flurry of injuries and the inconsistent quarterback play of Blake Bortles. It wasn’t that long ago that the Jaguars were one game away from a Super Bowl so they know they have some of the pieces to compete. They just need the quarterback to bring it all together, or, at least, so they hope. Foles has proven in Philadelphia that with the right system around him he can win a Super Bowl.
This could be perfect for everybody involved. Foles wants a place where he can win games and get a chance to start. The Jaguars just need a competent QB and they theoretically should be back in the postseason thanks to their strong defense. Their offense is built around a running game and all Foles would need to do is play game manager. That said, the Jaguars can’t stop at getting Foles. They currently have the No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. With players like Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins on the board, it would be foolish for Jacksonville to not make a play at getting a young QB to sit and develop behind Foles, or maybe even challenge him for the starting spot.
Foles is not a quarterback for the future type. He has proven though that he’s an excellent team player. Despite winning a Super Bowl he returned to his backup QB role behind Carson Wentz to begin last season without moping or complaining. Then he came back in and did what was expected of him for his job. That’s the type of personality the Jaguars should desire in a free agent QB right now. Someone they can hand the keys too while they develop a young QB, but also someone they know is willing to hand those keys off for the good of the team.
