The NFC East has been a hot stove since the Eagles rocked the football world by defeating Goliath, also known as the New England Patriots, 41-33 in the Super Bowl. From speculations that the Dallas Cowboys will part ways with Dez Bryant, to the Washington Redskins trading for Alex Smith, many are left wondering if they let Kirk Cousins walk (all signs point to yes). The most intriguing speculation is whether the Eagles trade the MVP of the Super Bowl and now a bigger hero in Philadelphia than Rocky: Nick Foles.
Let’s look how this could happen. Nick Foles turns 29 in 2018. He is under contract with the Eagles and is expected to make $4 million base salary. For many teams around the league who are looking for QB, this option is the “cheap” (in financial terms) route. Jimmy Garoppolo changed the game after signing the largest contract in NFL history at 137.5 million dollar deal over five years. Now, everyone around the football world is wondering where this puts Kirk Cousins number. It’s looking to be a QB payday in the coming offseasons.
For teams who don’t want to pay a lot this offseason the Nick Foles rental is appealing, especially if you’re a team planning to draft a QB, like the Denver Broncos for example. Foles could seem a bit more appealing than Trevor Siemian while a guy like Baker Mayfield develops for a year. The Eagles’ asking price for the new found hero won’t be cheap, and if Carson Wentz comes back like his MVP self, it would almost be a no brainer to part ways with Foles for something that could benefit the team in the moment or for a high draft pick in 2019.
Two words come into mind next: Nate Sudfeld. Heading into his third year after being a Washington draft pick out of Indiana University, Sudfeld was impressive in a Week 17 loss to the Cowboys this season. Given it was garbage time, Sudfeld threw for an incredible 19/23 for 134 yards in his Eagles debut. Sudfeld completed 82.6 percent of his passes, which set a new NFL record for completion percentage for a quarterback making his NFL debut according to ESPN.
In the end, the NFL is a business and the Eagles will make a business decision based on what’s best for the franchise. Parting ways with a guy that just won you the Super Bowl and was picked the MVP is hard to sell, but if the Wentz Wagon gets back and rolling Foles might find himself falling off.
