NFL Rumors: Nick Foles Unlikely To Be With The L.A. Rams This Season

With the 2016 NFL draft only a few weeks away, rumors regarding the Los Angeles Rams and what they are going to do with the No. 15 overall pick have been spiraling. After finishing with a 7-9 record last season, the Rams are looking to bounce back in the extremely competitive NFC West division. While the team had a lot of problems last season, one of the biggest issues was the poor play at the quarterback position. According to league insiders, quarterback Nick Foles is likely to be traded or released before the start of the Rams’ 2016 season.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Rams have been linked to Memphis Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch, North Dakota State Bison quarterback Carson Wentz, and California Golden Bears quarterback Jared Goff. While there is a chance that Lynch falls to the Rams at pick No. 15, the team would have to trade up in the first round in order to have a chance at drafting Wentz or Goff. Regardless of which college quarterback the Rams ultimately draft, the team is in desperate need of help at the position.

Will Nick Foles be a member of the Rams in 2016? https://t.co/8NXWSxjhq9 pic.twitter.com/JesfmO3SOG

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) April 10, 2016

After trading Sam Bradford and draft considerations to the Philadelphia Eagles for Foles and draft considerations, the Rams felt as though they found their franchise quarterback. During his 2013 season, Foles had one of the best seasons for a quarterback in NFL history. His 27 touchdowns and two interceptions were unlike anything that a quarterback had done in the past, and it appeared as though he was the next great signal caller in the NFL.

Injuries shortened Foles’ 2014 season, but he was still held in high regard among many executives around the league. While St. Louis has not been the ideal place for a quarterback over the past decade, Foles was not good last year. In 11 games, he threw for 2,052 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His 30 QBR and 69 quarterback rating were the worst figures of his career, and it appeared as though the Rams lost confidence in him.

As ProFootballTalk reports, league sources believe that Foles will not be with the team when the Rams take the field on their first game.

“On one hand, Foles already has earned a $6 million roster bonus for 2016, and his $1.75 million base salary for the coming year is fully guaranteed. On the other hand, there’s a sense that Foles has been tabbed as the odd man out, with Case Keenum, Sean Mannion, and whoever the Rams draft filling out the primary three spots on the depth chart for the first year back in L.A. One source with knowledge of the dynamics already has predicted that Foles likely will be gone by the start of training camp, and that he definitely will not be on the team before Week One. So why haven’t the Rams already moved on? For starters, the $6 million roster bonus was fully guaranteed as of last year. The only extra obligation arising from keeping Foles into March 2016 came from the base salary. If Foles is traded, the base salary goes with him.”

As CBS Sports reports, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher has already announced that Case Keenum will be the team’s starter for 2016. At 28-years-old, Keenum has not exactly proven during his career that he has the talent and skills to be a competent NFL starter. Throughout his 3-year career with the Houston Texans and Rams, Keenum has only played in 16 games. He has thrown for 3,023 yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He also has an unusually high eight fumbles. While his career numbers are not awful, he is probably not the quarterback that the Rams have in mind for their long-term future.

While Nick Foles is likely to remain on the Rams until at least the upcoming NFL draft, rumors will continue to come out regarding his future with the team. If Foles is released, expect him to sign cheap with another team in a backup role.

[Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images]