Should he stay or go: The Nick Foles decision in Philadelphia
This past Thursday, the Philadelphia Eagles held their Super Bowl championship parade in the City of Brotherly Love with roughly 700,000 of their biggest fans in attendance for the celebration. From the corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue in South Philly to the steps of the Art Museum on the Ben Franklin Parkway, the parade was nothing short of special and amazing for a franchise that hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the first time ever. The highlight of the parade, without a doubt, was Jason Kelce’s speech.
While the Eagles championship celebrations are sure to continue into the offseason, reality set in immediately for this team just hours after the conclusion of the parade. The Minnesota Vikings, the very team that the Eagles dispatched in the NFC Championship game last month, were in town to meet with quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo for their offensive coordinator vacancy. By the time the clock struck midnight, DeFilippo had agreed to become the Vikings’ offensive coordinator next season. Within hours, the Eagles’ Super Bowl team would not be the same in 2018.
The changes would continue over the weekend after the Indianapolis Colts hired offensive coordinator Frank Reich as their head coach. It appeared as if Indy would be hiring Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has its next head coach, but after McDaniels backed out of his deal to stay in New England, Reich became the Colts’ primary target.
Within three days, the Eagles had lost their two top offensive assistant coaches from their championship team. As of Wednesday, multiple reports say that the Eagles are in no rush to fill their offensive coordinator vacancy. Assistant quarterbacks coach Press Taylor has been promoted to quarterbacks coach, according to reports.
With an offensive mind like Doug Pederson calling the plays and designing the gameplan as head coach, the Eagles do not necessarily need to fill the offensive coordinator role. While it is an unorthodox move, it is not unheard of.
With the departure of DeFilippo and Reich from the staff in the last week, the Eagles’ offseason has been fast-tracked. While free agency is still almost a month away, this team faces many personnel decisions before the NFL Draft rolls around this spring. There’s no bigger decision than the one they face with their Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Nick Foles.
The Eagles are not in unchartered waters with their quarterback situation after winning a Super Bowl title. Just ask the St. Louis Rams and New England Patriots. But what makes the Eagles situation so unique is that the quarterback who won Philadelphia its first Super Bowl title in franchise history will not be the team’s starting quarterback next season.
When the Rams were still in St. Louis and captured the Super Bowl in 1999, Hall of Famer Kurt Warner came off the bench to replace the injured Trent Green and led the team to victory. After the Rams won, there was no question that Warner had permanently earned the starting job. And we all know what happened in 2001 after Tom Brady replaced the injured Drew Bledsoe to lead the Patriots to their first of five Super Bowl titles.
For the Eagles, it has been clearly stated that this is Carson Wentz’s team when he returns healthy. From the ownership and front office to the coaching staff to Foles himself, everyone has reiterated the same thing: this job belongs to Wentz. It cannot be forgotten that Wentz, the franchise quarterback, was playing like an MVP and was arguably the biggest reason that the Eagles were in the position they were before he went down with a season-ending injury.
Therefore, the Eagles have two options on the table with Foles: keep him or trade him.
Keep Him
It is in the Eagles best interests to keep Foles around next season. Not every year does the defending Super Bowl champion get to have a Super Bowl MVP as its backup quarterback. Especially when he is only costing the team $7 million next season, Foles is an extremely affordable option for what he has accomplished. Although Wentz will be the starter when he is fully healthy, it is not clear yet that Wentz will be ready to go by Week 1 of the 2018 season. Therefore, to have a quarterback like Foles who can keep the seat warm for Wentz and who knows the offense so well, keeping Foles in Philly would be the right move to maintain continuity and stability with the offense until Wentz returns. Foles has expressed interest in remaining with the Eagles, but his agent could have other ideas. It certainly would be an easier move than having to bring in someone new to be the backup quarterback.
Trade Him
While I firmly believe that the Eagles should try to keep Foles for the right price (Foles and his agent could attempt to re-negotiate his contract for more money), Howie Roseman and the Eagles’ front office would be remiss if they were to ignore trade calls for Foles from other teams. While Foles may want to stay in Philly, the job of his agent is to poke around the league and get what his client deserves both on the field and financially. Foles’ agent could convince him that he can be a starter rather than a backup in the NFL (thus more money), and he could change his mind and heart about returning next season. Understandably, Foles may want to be a franchise quarterback somewhere else if given the opportunity after his miraculous season.
Almost any Super Bowl team requires great quarterback play, and there are several teams in desperate need of a quarterback. Teams such as the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, and Cleveland Browns are all expected to be active in the quarterback market this offseason. These teams could be desperate enough for a quarterback to offer the Eagles A LOT for Foles. Whether it is draft picks or players who can help solidify another positions on the roster, the Eagles could get good value and improve the team in return for Foles. The phone is sure to ring several times this offseason to inquire about Foles, and the Eagles must be willing to listen.
Needless to say, this will be a huge decision for the Eagles. But I do believe that Foles, understanding his role on the team going forward, is sincere with his wishes to return to Philadelphia and work with Wentz. But the Eagles need to at least answer the phones when teams call and ask about Foles.
Ultimately, it all has to be for the right price. The Eagles should not trade Foles for just anything they are offered. Philly needs to make the bidding price for Foles high and see what teams can come up with for a trade. If Foles wants to renegotiate his contract, the Eagles cannot be paying him Jimmy Garoppolo money to backup Wentz. If the Eagles bring Foles back, it must be for the right price.
