Eagles’ Flirtation with Nick Foles is Bonkers
Nick Foles agreed to a two-year deal to reunite with Frank Reich on Monday, this time in Indianapolis, but not before the Eagles tried to convince their former Super Bowl hero for Round 3 in the City of Brotherly Love.
That’s how it went down, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
From a pure football perspective, it’s hard to criticize any team bringing in Foles, 33, to be a backup because the veteran has proven to be a tremendous closer and someone who can get a Vinnie Johnson-like hot hand in the biggest moment.
And for most NFL teams like the Colts, there would be no criticism coming from this reporter for wanting a steady hand like Foles behind the glass in case of emergency.
In Philadelphia, though, where there is a small portion of the fan base that treats Foles like some kind of deity for delivering the only Super Bowl championship in franchise history, it’s a terrible miscalculation to even think about putting that kind of specter over the shoulder of a still-evolving young quarterback like Jalen Hurts.
And that has nothing to do with Hurts’ mental toughness because the belief here is that the third-year signal-caller wouldn’t be threatened in any way by the presence of Foles.
The organization, however, should know better than anyone what would happen the minute Hurts struggles and that’s an unneeded distraction for both the starting QB and head coach Nick Sirianni.
Interestingly, this is not the first time the Eagles thought about bringing Foles back for the third time.
After the Bears signed Andy Dalton in free agency last year and then drafted Justin Fields in the first round, Chicago wanted to move on from Foles and Philadelphia came calling, according to an NFL source. It was Foles himself who didn’t want to return to the Eagles and turned down a potential trade, perhaps having a better understanding of his own effect on the city.
As for the Eagles' part in all this, it’s bizarre. Howie Roseman isn’t Bob from the Northeast on line one.
Roseman has gotten plenty of credit for his offseason and perhaps the veteran GM is feeling himself a little bit, thinking about trading off the solid backup (Gardner Minshew) he already has to gain even more future draft capital while also bringing back a franchise legend who would be an even better tutor for Hurts.
Fowler noted that the Eagles “got trade interest on Gardner Minshew, they discussed Nick Foles but ultimately decided they would stick with their quarterback room, including Minshew and draft pick [actually undrafted free agent] Carson Strong.”
Even the thought is bananas, however.
The Eagles came into the offseason with a plan.
If they could get a true superstar [Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson] they would move in that direction to upgrade over Hurts but the organization valued its hard-working starter enough that they never even considered lateral or perhaps nominal upgrades like Jimmy Garoppolo or Baker Mayfield.
Heck, the Eagles didn’t even budge when it became apparent that Kyler Murray was pushing things in Arizona.
And that discipline was going to get blown up for an aging, limited player who much of the fan base will incorrectly think is better than Hurts and being unfairly treated by sitting behind him?
Roseman prides himself on doing the due diligence on nearly every player that is or could become available but Foles should have been the exception to that rule.
The reality is the report was overblown because the timing wasn't right for a Minshew deal.
If not, maybe Foles is really what certain Philadelphia fans think he is because that would mean for the second time in two years St. Nick saved the Eagles from themselves.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
