What would the Jaguars get in QB Nick Foles? An experienced playmaker with a winding history
Mar 4, 2019 at 4:58 PM Mar 4, 2019 at 8:12 PM
Nick Foles has been an on-again, off-again starter. He's been cut, traded and benched. And he's been a Super Bowl MVP.
Foles' interesting NFL career path since entering the league in 2012 is expected to begin a new chapter next week in Jacksonville.
Foles, 30, could sign with the Jaguars when NFL free agency begins March 13. ESPN and The Philadelphia Inquirer have reported that a deal is expected, though the legal negotiating period does not begin until Monday.
To make room under the salary cap, the Jaguars will likely release Blake Bortles, who helped the team reach the AFC title game after the 2017 season but faltered last year.
What would the Jaguars get in Foles? Hear it from Pro Bowl offensive lineman Lane Johnson.
"He's a guy that liked to keep the distractions down and kept his focus on the game," Johnson said during the Pro Bowl in January. "I've had a lot of fun playing with him. He'll get vocal every now and then, but a lot of times it his demeanor he really doesn't have to say a whole lot and people understand him."
BECOMING A SUPER BOWL HERO
The league started to better understand Foles over the past two seasons, when he started eight regular-season games (13 including playoffs) following injuries to Carson Wentz.
Foles made the most of his opportunities — and made himself some money. He went 10-3 as a starter, including 4-1 in the playoffs, displaying an unflappable demeanor that would benefit the Jaguars on the field and serve as a refreshing reset button in the locker room.
When Wentz went down with an ACL injury in December 2017, Foles stepped in to help the Eagles past Atlanta and Minnesota in the NFC playoffs.
Foles turned the general consensus on its head when he outdueled New England quarterback Tom Brady in the Super Bowl, passing for 373 yards and three touchdowns — adding a receiving touchdown on a trick play, too — as the Eagles won 41-33. Foles won the MVP award, becoming a Philadelphia hero in the process.
Showing his 2017 season wasn't a fluke, Foles again replaced an injured Wentz (stress fracture in back) during the final stretch and led the Eagles to three straight wins to sneak into the playoffs.
Philadelphia knocked off Chicago on the road during the wild-card round and was driving for the potential go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter at New Orleans when a Foles pass went through the hands of receiver Alshon Jeffery and was intercepted. The Saints won 20-14.
If the Jaguars indeed sign Foles, they would get an experienced playmaker who is unfazed by the big moment. And they would add a player eager to lead a team from the day training camp started.
Foles was drafted in the third round by the Eagles in 2012, and threw for 27 touchdown passes and just two interceptions while developing under coach Chip Kelly during his second year. Foles, however, was traded to the St. Louis Rams in 2015 and struggled there, even considering retirement after getting benched in favor of Case Keenum.
Instead, Foles requested and was granted his release and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs before the 2016 season. After the Chiefs declined Foles' second-year option, he returned to the Eagles in 2017.
That set up his transition from afterthought to desired commodity.
"We've had incredible success with him when he's had to play," Philadelphia executive Howie Roseman said of Foles last week while announcing the team would not place the franchise tag on him. "Four playoff wins in the last two years. Great teammate. Huge resource for Carson, and Nate Sudfeld as well.
"But at the same time, he deserves the opportunity to lead a team. It's a goal of his to lead another team [and] lead another locker room. We feel at this point it's the right decision."
IN SEARCH OF TALENT
Signing Foles is not a decision that comes void of risk, though.
The Jaguars are not stacked with offensive talent after going 5-11 last season, making the job of any quarterback particularly difficult.
They still need more weapons, particularly at receiver and tight end. Their offensive line is in need of repair after surrendering 53 sacks in 2018, tied for the third-most in the league.
If the Jaguars sign Foles, they could still draft a quarterback with the seventh overall pick or immediately get to work on adding offensive pieces. They have five of the top 109 selections.
Foles' experience would be a boon if the Jaguars commit to young receivers Keelan Cole and DJ Chark and add young tight end help.
A staple of Foles' recent play has been efficiency — avoiding mistakes while getting the football to his playmakers.
During the Eagles' 2017 playoff run, Foles completed 73 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and one interception.
And Foles finished last season completing 72.3 percent of his passes and threw for seven touchdowns in five games.
The Jaguars need that kind of execution after averaging 15.3 points per game (second-worst in the NFL) and 302.0 yards per game (27th in the NFL) last season.
BUILDING A CONNECTION
The Jaguars are not permitted to comment on Foles while he remains under contract with the Eagles, but his connection to the team is easy to find.
In January, the Jaguars hired John DeFilippo as offensive coordinator. It was DeFilippo who helped develop Foles while serving as Philadelphia's quarterbacks coach in 2016-17.
Foles opted out of his $20 million contract in February by paying back a $2 million bonus, a decision that equal parts showed he wants to lead a team and believes he can get paid handsomely on the open market.
It's unclear what sort of salary Foles might command from the Jaguars and for what term. It would make sense from the Jaguars' standpoint to offer a short-term contract (one-year, $18 million?) if they are intent on drafting a quarterback. Foles may have to accept that offer since no other suitors have risen up.
Denver reached a trade agreement with Baltimore last month to acquire veteran quarterback Joe Flacco. The New York Giants have so far publicly stated they are sticking with Eli Manning, and Washington (lack of salary cap space) and Miami (possibly zeroed in on drafting a quarterback) do not seem primed to make aggressive plays.
That makes a Foles-Jaguars connection the most likely outcome. What happens from there depends on how good of a job the Jaguars do building the rest of their roster.
"The quarterback usually drives the boat," Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said last week at the NFL's Scouting Combine. "... The perfect scenario for me is I like it where the quarterback knows more and everyone else has to catch up to the quarterback. I think that's what keeps people on their toes.
"If you are waiting for the quarterback to catch up to everyone else on offense, then you are not going to progress the way you want to."