Nick Foles Could Be Traded Now
It's been a rollercoaster NFL career for Nick Foles. He's won a Super Bowl MVP, made the Pro Bowl and gotten rich over the course of nine seasons. He's also been benched, traded and faced constant uncertainty about his role nearly every step of the way too.
It appears that will continue this offseason.
The Bears paid Foles a hefty roster bonus this weekend that could open the door to him being traded, as Pro Football Focus writer Brad Spielberger points out.
Would expect his trade market (if that’s something Chicago is interested in) to now materialize, with Denver and Philadelphia two obvious potential suitors https://t.co/1JHBGXufRW
— Brad Spielberger (@PFF_Brad) March 21, 2021
Because Foles is coming off arguably the worst season of his career, which was also interrupted by an injury, this hasn't been a prominent storyline this offseason. But the free agent quarterback market has already dried up and all's quiet on the trade market right now too. There are quarterback-needy teams, like the Broncos and Eagles, who might be willing to trade a low pick to bring in Foles. With the Bears signing Andy Dalton to be their starter, they could also be willing to part ways with Foles after one season.
Foles led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in 2017 and a playoff run in 2018, both times after replacing an injured Carson Wentz. The Eagles chose Wentz over Foles in 2019 but he's now been traded to the Colts, Foles has not been the same player since leaving Philly. He started four games for the Jags after signing with them in 2019 and seven for the Bears after being traded there in 2020. In those games his teams have gone 2-9 and he's accounted for nearly as many turnovers (12) as he has touchdowns (14).
Last year was an unmitigated disaster. He replaced Mitch Trubisky, played poorly (10 touchdowns against eight interceptions), criticized coach Matt Nagy's play calls, got hurt, lost his starting job and spent the last six weeks of the season on the bench. Yet because of how weak the quarterback market is this offseason, especially for teams not drafting early in the first round, he could actually be traded.
Will it happen? Will a team be desperate enough to take a swing and trade for Foles? That wasn't even a consideration a few days ago, but now it seems possible as the Bears quarterback carousel continues to spin round.