Do the Chargers Make Sense as a Potential Landing Spot for Nick Foles?

With Philip Rivers out of the picture, could the Chargers turn to Nick Foles as their veteran quarterback?

One of the first big dominoes of the 2020 offseason fell on Monday when the Los Angeles Chargers announced quarterback Philip Rivers would not return to the team in 2020.

“In anything you do, it’s the people you do it with that make it special. There are so many relationships and memories with coaches, support staff and teammates that will last forever, and for that I am so thankful."

Philip Rivers to Enter Free Agency » https://t.co/njeTsCbi1D pic.twitter.com/bCKXKTRePh

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) February 10, 2020

Rivers hitting the open market for the first time in his lengthy NFL career could theoretically cause ramifications throughout the league. From which team eventually signs him to who the Chargers replace him with, the corresponding moves resulting from Rivers' departure will change the outlook for a number of franchises moving forward. 

Could one of those franchises end up being the Jacksonville Jaguars? 

One team that Rivers has been connected to is the Indianapolis Colts, who have a top offensive line and a huge need at quarterback. Rivers signing with the Colts would, obviously, impact the Jaguars since it would mean Jacksonville would now play him twice a year. Considering how well Rivers has historically played against the Jaguars, him landing with the Colts would have a clear and obvious impact in the short term. 

But is the only way Rivers' situation could impact the Jaguars? Perhaps not quite. Without Rivers, the Chargers could now be in the veteran quarterback market, opting to keep Tyrod Taylor in a backup role. Could they turn to the Jaguars in search of working out a deal for Nick Foles if this is the direction they want to move in?

Finding a team to take Foles off of the Jaguars' hands would likely be a best-case scenario for Jacksonville considering the fact that it would save Jacksonville money long-term and give Gardner Minshew II a clear path to starting, but would Los Angeles make sense as a potential landing spot for the veteran passer? There is a case for and against the argument.

Why the Chargers make sense as a trade partner for Nick Foles

If the Chargers don't want to start Taylor or a rookie quarterback in 2020, the only other real option would be finding a veteran quarterback like Foles (or Tom Brady) instead. The Chargers could theoretically deal for Foles and still select a quarterback like Oregon's Justin Herbert at sixth overall to groom him, just as Drew Brees started in place of a young and developing Rivers. With head coach Anthony Lynn needing a solid season after the Chargers went 5-11 in 2019, it wouldn't be far-fetched to think he would trust an experienced passer with a postseason pedigree like Foles over starting a rookie from day one. 

Foles would also be more equipped to succeed in Los Angeles than he is with the Jaguars considering the fact he would have running back Austin Ekeler, wide receivers Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, and potentially tight end Hunter Henry if the Chargers can find a way to keep him moving forward. This would resemble supporting casts Foles had at previous successful stops in his career, at least more so than the Jaguars' offense does. 

Financially, the Chargers would be able to make this deal work. Per OverTheCap, Foles has a $21,837,500 cap hit in 2020 and a $26,875,000 cap hit in 2021. If the Jaguars were to trade Foles, they would be on the hook for some of his cap in 2020, while the Chargers could release him in 2021 for minimal loss. The Chargers have a projected $48.7 million in available cap space in 2020 per OverTheCap, the 15th-most in the NFL. Even when adding in Henry's eventual contract, the Chargers still have the room to fit Foles into their plans.

Trading for Foles could also potentially result in more draft picks for the Chargers. Due to Foles' contract, the Jaguars may have to part with draft capital to get Foles off of their books, just as the Houston Texans did with Brock Osweiler in 2017. By adding Foles, the Chargers could be making a move to strengthen the team in both the short- and long-term

Why the Chargers do not make sense as a trade partner for Nick Foles 

For starters, the Chargers own the sixth overall draft pick and shouldn't feel pressured to opt for a veteran passer. They could easily draft Herbert or Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa (pending one falls to them at six) and hopefully not have to worry about the quarterback position for the next decade or so. 

They could still draft a quarterback if they traded for Foles, but why pour two big investments into the position on a strictly short-term basis? Plus, we have seen more and more often teams draft young passers and ask them to play right away. Outside of a few rare cases, it seems as if the trend is to let rookie quarterbacks play right away. Trading for Foles would be counter-productive to this idea. 

The Chargers also could, of course, prefer Taylor to Foles as a stopgap quarterback if they want to sit their rookie passer. Lynn has a history with Taylor dating back to their shared time with the Buffalo Bills, and Taylor comes at a much cheaper cost than Foles. Foles didn't exactly light things up in his first season in Jacksonville, so it would be understandable if other teams weren't high on the idea of him as a starter in comparison to other options. 

To gauge how much interest the Chargers could potentially have in Foles, we reached out to Jason B. Hirschhorn of ChargerReport to give us his view on if the Chargers should make a move for Foles.

"Multiple factors contributed to Philip Rivers' departure from the Chargers. While he enjoyed tremendous success with the team over his 16-year run, his skill set and declining play didn't mesh with the team's vision for the position moving forward," Hirschhorn told JaguarReport. "Head coach Anthony Lynn and his staff favor mobile quarterbacks over the more statuesque Rivers, a preference that became clear when the team ran pistol option with Tyrod Taylor under center during the fourth quarter of last season's 45-10 victory over the Jaguars. "

"While Nick Foles can still play at a starter's level, he requires the right offensive system and structure to do so. His strengths and weaknesses clash with what Los Angeles desires from its signal-caller," Hirschhorn continued. "And while the Chargers could pursue the famously immobile Tom Brady in free agency, he possesses a higher floor and ceiling than Foles as well as greater value from a marketing perspective. Given the team's impending move to the new, spacious SoFi Stadium, adding Brady could help the franchise gain a foothold in the Los Angeles market. "

Overall

With Rivers no longer in the picture, the Chargers have a number of different options to fill the quarterback position in 2020. But as of now, it would appear as if trading for Foles would likely rank low on the Chargers' preferred list of directions. 

Foles makes sense as a veteran stopgap for the Chargers, a team that now no longer has a true and definite short-term option at the position, but there are more reasons why he wouldn't make sense for Los Angeles. From the way they see the position to other quarterback options, signs point away from Foles more than they point to him.

With no Rivers, the Chargers are going to hear about the quarterback position for the next coming months. Expect Foles' name to be included in those conversations by the public due to his situation with the Jaguars — just don't expect for anything to come from those conversations.