With a new league year set to kick off in a few weeks, it appears as if we have a clear picture of what the Philadelphia Eagles plan to do with veteran quarterback Nick Foles.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported over the weekend that the Eagles are expected to use the franchise tag on Foles this offseason to try to trade him.
In addition to the franchise tag, it’s been reported throughout this season that the Eagles could also pick up the veteran quarterback’s $20 million option. From there, the same rules still apply in that Philly can still try to trade him.
However, if Philly decides to exercise Foles’ option, he will have the ability to either accept or decline it within a fair amount of time. If he goes with the second option, then the 30-year-old quarterback would have to pay the Eagles back $2 million.
The NFL insider also mentioned in his report that the price tag to acquire Foles would be a third-round pick.
Nevertheless, it does not come as a surprise to see Foles’ value reportedly at a third-round pick. Despite him leading the Eagles on a magical Super Bowl run last season and engineering a late playoff run this season, Foles is still a streaky quarterback, who just touched 30 years old.
In regards to the Eagles, this works in their benefit as more quarterback-needy teams should be willing to give up a third-round pick for an established signal caller. As we all know by now, it has been said that this is not an impressive quarterback draft class.
Therefore, if you are a team such as the Denver Broncos or Jacksonville Jaguars, wouldn’t you rather give up a Day 2/Day 3 pick for a veteran quarterback and not spend your first-round pick on a raw quarterback prospect?
But that is a tough question both teams along with the New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, and Washington Redskins will have to answer over the course of this offseason.
Speaking of the Jaguars, they could be the most likely destination for Foles this offseason, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen on Sunday.
“And where he winds up, I think what the Eagles would like to see is something develop with the Jacksonville Jaguars because John DeFilippo is now down there as the offensive coordinator,” Mortensen said on ESPN Postseason NFL Countdown (h/t Bleeding Green Nation).
“He was the Eagles’ quarterback coach a year ago when they won the Super Bowl. But Foles knows, and his representatives, that this is a business. He’s not going to play nice with the Eagles. They don’t want him to go to the Giants or the Redskins — although it was noted to me they let Donovan McNabb go to the Redskins one time and that didn’t hurt them — so it will be interesting to see how this plays out. But that’s the goal, is not to let him go inside the division, and the Jaguars being hopefully the team that gets him.”
If this is the case, then there could be a deal made between both squads. The Jaguars have two third-round picks in this draft, while the Eagles do not have any.
Also, Jacksonville, who had a disappointing season, would love to play behind a more steady quarterback in Foles and not Blake Bortles.
With that being said, there is still a lot of directions that this situation can head into. Whatever the Eagles decide to do with Foles, immediately impacts what happens in the trade market.
Is team like the Jaguars willing to take on a quarterback with a possible $20 million option, while still trying to figure out what to do with Bortles? Remember, Jacksonville signed the 27-year-old quarterback to a three-year, $54 million deal last offseason.
Bortles is set to make $16 million next season but carries an enormous cap hit of $21 million. However, he does have a potential out in his contract in 2020.
It should be interesting to see how things pan out for both the Eagles and Foles in a pivotal offseason.
