Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles will be parting ways this offseason. The Eagles used their team option on Foles, but he decided to buy them out.
3 potential landing spots for Nick Foles in NFL free agency
Foles delivered a Super Bowl to Philadelphia, but now it’s time for him to build his legacy with another team.
The Eagles still have the option to use a franchise or transition tag on Foles by March 5, but general manager Howie Roseman said they will not do that, clearing the way for Foles to hit free agency:
Now his days playing in Philly are over, marking the the end of an era. Foles delivered the Eagles their first Super Bowl championship in 2017 and helped get them to the Divisional Round of the playoffs this past season. In 2019, the 30-year-old will get (another) chance to continue to build his legacy as a starter on another team.
As is the case every offseason, there are a handful of teams that need a quarterback in some capacity. Here are four that could in play for Foles this time around, listed from the most likely landing spot to the least:
It’s not a secret that the Jaguars are in the market for a quarterback after an abysmal year with Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler.
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Unfortunately for the Jaguars, they’re currently in cap hell. As things stand now, the Jaguars currently have negative amount of cap space — cutting Blake Bortles would only get them right around the positive numbers.
There’s plenty of fiddling with the roster that the Jaguars can do, though. They’re expected to part ways with Malik Jackson to save $11 million and have several other ways to get back in good financial shape.
Foles would be an upgrade to what they played with last season, and he’d be reunited in Jacksonville with John DeFilippo. The Jaguars’ new offensive coordinator was the quarterbacks coach in Philadelphia during Foles’ miraculous run to become Super Bowl MVP a little over a year ago.
Foles would also be a decent option for the Jaguars because he could hold the fort down for a rookie — if they select a quarterback with their top-10 pick come April.
The Dolphins are an unlikely landing spot for Foles until they clear a decent amount of cap space to get him on the roster. As it stands now, they don’t have much cap space, but they can free up about $ 13 million by releasing Ryan Tannehill, as expected.
From an organizational and team-building standpoint, bringing Foles in as a bridge quarterback makes sense. Miami has the No. 13 pick in the draft and could select a quarterback, even if it’s one who needs time to develop. Plus, Brian Flores was the only coach to receive a fully guaranteed five-year contract — he’ll have time to build a competitive roster.
If Flores wants to avoid a complete disaster for a year or two while the Dolphins groom a rookie quarterback, Foles could be a potential option for Miami.
3. Washington
Washington has found itself in an awful spot this offseason. After the team signed Alex Smith to a contract that’s pretty much impossible to get out of (look at that dead cap!), he suffered a gruesome leg injury that might cause him to miss the 2019 season.
Unless Jay Gruden wants to completely tank the 2019 season, he’ll likely need a quarterback who can immediately play this season. Washington has a little cap space, so it might have just enough cash to make a run for Nick Foles.
Case Keenum signed a deal worth $18 million per year in 2018, and Sam Bradford signed one worth an average of $20 million. Neither contract worked out well, but it’s hard to imagine Foles gets any less.
Punting on the 2019 season instead of paying up for Foles might not be the worst idea for Washington, though. This is a team that could use some top-tier talent in the 2020 NFL Draft while it tries to buoy an uncertain quarterback situation.
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