Report: Broncos 'Obvious' Trade Suitor for Bears QB Nick Foles
New Denver Broncos general manager George Paton repeatedly has indicated that the team aims to bring in a veteran quarterback to compete with incumbent starter Drew Lock. But Paton never specified how he'd go about acquiring said signal-caller.
The Broncos were not interested in the free-agent crop of QBs that included Ryan Fitzpatrick, Mitchell Trubisky, Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton, and Tyrod Taylor. They don't seem particularly interested in the remaining options, either: Alex Smith and ... not much else.
So what is Paton to do in lieu of addressing the position through next month's draft? Turn to the trade market — and the Windy City.
After Chicago Bears QB Nick Foles was paid a $4 million roster bonus on Saturday, outside offers for the Super Bowl 52 MVP are expected to "materialize," according to Pro Football Focus' Brad Spielberger, who named Denver and the Philadelphia Eagles, Foles' former team, as "obvious potential suitors."
Most know Foles, 32, from Philadelphia, where he compiled 8,703 passing yards, 58 touchdowns, 23 interceptions, and a 21-11 record, across stints from 2012-14 and 2017-18. Most forget his injury-ruined one-and-done 2019 stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars, during which he failed to win a game over just four starts — and was later benched despite signing a four-year, $88 million free-agent contract.
The Jaguars dealt Foles to Chicago in March 2020. Acquired as a backup to Trubisky, and re-signed to a three-year, $24 million deal, he winded up starting seven games, tallying 1,852 yards, 10 TDs, and eight INTs.
Save for the likes of Deshaun Watson, Sam Darnold, and Gardner Minshew, this is probably the best the Broncos can do via trade. Glass half-full: Foles makes some sense considering his past ties to offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and Paton's familiarity with the Bears, having spent the previous nine years as the Minnesota Vikings' assistant GM.
Chicago would eat $5.333 million in dead money by trading Foles before June 1, and $10.333 million by designating him a pre-June 1 release. The ex-Pro Bowler is signed through 2022, with reasonable salary cap hits of $6.666 million and $10.666 million. His 2021 base salary ($4 million) and $1 million of his 2022 salary ($4 million) are guaranteed.
The Broncos boast $37.071 million in available cap space, third-flushest in the NFL, as of this writing.
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