If someone had told you that Nick Foles would be the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, you would rightly laugh at that person. Turns out, this is the reality. Foles went from nearly retiring after his stint with the Kansas City Chiefs after failing with the then St. Louis Rams, to signing with the Eagles, and taking over for Carson Wentz after tearing his ACL.
When Foles was benched in Week 17’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, most counted the Eagles out. According to the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, the Eagles were the first number one seed to be an underdog in the divisional round since 1970 when they took on the Atlanta Falcons. Eagles edged out the Falcons 15-10, but there is no way they were going to take down the red-hot Minnesota Vikings. Think about it, they are coming off one of the most amazing walk-off touchdowns in sports history courtesy of Stefon Diggs. Well, it turned out to be the complete opposite.
The Eagles absolutely dominated the Vikings 38-7. Along with that, Foles had the game of his life, throwing for 352 yards, three touchdowns, and completing 26 out of 33 attempts. By bringing the Eagles to its first Super Bowl since 2004, all eyes are rightly on Foles. With a great performance, regardless of a win or loss, it is possible teams will be taking a look at the 29-year-old veteran.
Nick Foles Has the Audition of a Lifetime Upcoming
As was mentioned before, Foles was well on his way to retirement before being signed by the Eagles. Is it possible that if Foles can defeat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, he will ride off into the sunset? Maybe, but what if Foles feels that he has more in the tank? There are a couple of teams in demand or could possibly test the market for a quarterback, and could possibly give Foles a look for a starting job. Those teams include the New York Giants, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, and Cleveland Browns. Considering the demand for quarterbacks will be high this season, Foles could be looking at quite the payday. If Mike Glennon can get the egregious contract that he got last off-season from the Chicago Bears, there is no doubt Foles can get paid.
Where Does Foles Fit?
Jon Gruden once told Case Keenum during ESPN’s Gruden Quarterback Camp that all it takes is for one coach to believe in him, and it turned out to be true. Foles is in a situation where Doug Pederson and company have confidence in him, so will he be able to find that faith with a different team? Pairing Foles with an offensive mind is pivotal, so two out of the six aforementioned teams come to mind: the Giants and Jaguars.
New Giants head coach Pat Shurmur has put himself back on the map due to the excellent job he did with both Keenum and Sam Bradford. People will look back at his tenure with the Browns and be alarmed, but his job with the Vikings should wipe the negative stigma away. Of course, this would be a possibility if new Giants general manager Dave Gettleman decides to move on from the Eli Manning era. If that’s the case, the Giants will most likely draft a quarterback as well. That way the eventual heir apparent will learn from Foles and company.
Despite the 11-5 finish along with an appearance in the AFC Championship game, the Jaguars are a quarterback away from being a true contender to the Patriots. With all due respect and credit to Blake Bortles, he is what he is: an average NFL quarterback at best. This not to say the Jags should get rid of Bortles. But instead, there needs to be a competition. Forget the “if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have a quarterback” line, the Jags have to get the best out of both quarterbacks. With both Doug Marrone and Nathaniel Hackett at the helm, Foles can work wonders in the Jags offense if they decide to reevaluate Bortles as their starting quarterback.
