Eagles’ Nick Foles wants to make his long goodbye a bit longer
NEW ORLEANS — When football players say, as they often do, “You got to play this game as if it is your last,” there is a certain morbid foreboding sprinkled into the sentiment. In the case of Nick Foles, it is the absolute truth. His next loss, whenever it comes, will almost definitely be his final game with the Eagles, a strange certainty that interjects all sorts of intrigue into Sunday’s NFC divisional playoff matchup with the Saints.
A No. 6 seed, which needed plenty of help to squeeze into the postseason, is supposed to be a significant underdog tip-toeing into the building of the No. 1 seed — especially when that top-seed is a team feared for its home-field advantage, as the Saints are inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Eagles (10-7) eliminating the Saints (13-3) will be an upset, but the presence of Foles makes picking the Eagles not only trendy, but also sensible — if you believe in karma, history and just a little bit of pixie dust.
Foles last season was minding his business as the popular backup to Carson Wentz when Wentz went down with a serious knee injury. Foles took over and never stopped winning until the Eagles soared to the first Super Bowl triumph in franchise history, with Foles leading the charge as the MVP of Super Bowl LII and becoming the first player to ever throw a touchdown pass (he tossed three of them) and catch a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl.
Dutifully, Foles again assumed a backup role this past season but was summoned, again, after Wentz went down with a back injury. Cue the inspirational music. With Foles as the starting quarterback and his team facing win-or-out as far as the playoffs, the Eagles ripped off four consecutive victories — including last week’s riveting and fortunate 16-15 comeback victory in Chicago in an NFC wild-card game. On fourth down with 56 seconds remaining, Foles threw a 2-yard scoring pass to Golden Tate, and the Eagles were moved on after Bears kicker Cody Parkey missed a 43-yard field goal attempt that was partially blocked in the final seconds.
It is getting to the point that Foles is earning a bronze likeness right next to the Rocky statue at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. If he outduels ageless Drew Brees, there is no reason the rejuvenated Eagles cannot beat the Rams or Cowboys in the NFC title game and advance to another Super Bowl.
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“I’m not worried about the future, but I understand where I stand, and every time I wear that jersey is special,” Foles said this past week. “We get one more week together, at least.”
Here is where harsh reality kicks in and, as usual, money matters. By mid-February, the Eagles must decide if they will trigger a $20 million option to keep Foles in 2019. There is virtually no way they can or will do that — as Foles, no matter how much winning and glory comes his way, will not supplant Wentz as the franchise quarterback, even as Wentz has shown a troubling lack of durability and Foles attains growing icon status. Wentz is on the books for just $720,000 next season, with a salary cap allotment of $8.5 million. No team can absorb a $20 million cap hit on a backup quarterback.
Wentz is the future, which is why Foles has no future in Philly.
“He’s the guy we drafted, and moving forward, he’s our quarterback,” coach Doug Pederson said of Wentz.
So Foles knows he is playing his way off the team he first joined in 2012 as a third-round pick out of Arizona.
If the expected happens and the Eagles decline the option, Foles becomes a free agent. If the option is picked up, Foles can void it by paying back a $2 million signing bonus. The Eagles could pick up the option then seek to trade Foles — a maneuver that makes sense, as there will be takers for a soon-to-be 30-year old (Jan. 20) who wins and wins and wins.
The Giants must be in the market for someone to take over, either now or soon, for 38-year old Eli Manning, but is there any scenario in which the Eagles would ship him to their NFC East rival? Giants coach Pat Shurmur was in Philly for Foles’ formative NFL years and knows him well. Does he want to work with him again?
If no trade can be worked out and Foles hits the open market, someone out there will give him a mega-contract, and every victory this month raises the price. As it is, the unassuming Foles has the best passer rating (105.2) and highest completion percentage (69.8) of any quarterback in postseason history with at least 150 passing attempts.
“He’s been through a lot,’’ Giants linebacker Connor Barwin, a teammate of Foles for two years with the Eagles, said late in the season. “Had his ups and downs. He’s played at a super-high level, had some bad years, but he kind of never wavered. That’s just who he is. I think that he’s a guy that brings guys together. He can connect with everyone. He doesn’t have a huge ego, and guys love playing with him. He’s been great in those special moments. People gravitate to people like that.”
Soon enough, Foles will need a new team to gravitate to him. To delay that departure, he needs to do what he does best in the playoffs: win.
