Nick Foles was allowed to enter free agency this year after the Philadelphia Eagles made the decision to not franchise tag the backup quarterback who also happened to be their playoff ace under center after back-to-back season-ending injuries to Carson Wentz.
Now, the Eagles will move forward with Wentz as their starter and allow Foles to move on to greener pastures. The expectation all along has been that Foles will find his way to Jacksonville, as the Jaguars have finally given up on Blake Bortles and feel they are a competent quarterback (and, as such, a competent offense) away from being a contender given their strong defense.
As free agency opened on Monday, big money was being thrown around by teams with cap space and the Jaguars threw a massive four-year, $88 million deal at Foles to be their new franchise quarterback, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
The #Jaguars had Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles as their top target. Per @MikeGarafolo he gets 4 years and $88M. Large.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2019
Max value of $102m. https://t.co/8brSABTO8K
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 11, 2019
The $102 million number includes all of the various incentive-based bonuses Foles can get, but the $88 million means Foles’ bet on himself has paid off big time. As always with NFL contracts, the total number isn’t always what will get paid out and the guaranteed money is what truly matters, but Foles is cashing in big time in that area too, with a reported $50 million guaranteed.
The #Jaguars giving QB Nick Foles $50.125 million in guaranteed money would be the most for a single contract in franchise history.
— Phillip Heilman (@phillip_heilman) March 11, 2019
The Jaguars, meanwhile, will release Bortles, allowing him to try and find a new team to play for.
The #Jaguars are expected to release QB Blake Bortles when QB Nick Foles’ deal is official and signed, I’m told. Will be a few days. But Bortles will be free.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2019
The question, of course, for Jacksonville is whether Foles can replicate his success in Philadelphia in a different offense, and for an entire season rather than being a late entry as a starter and riding a wave into the postseason. We’ll find out this fall, but the Jaguars are clearly betting big on Foles having truly figured things out as an NFL starter, and are compensating him as such.
