Rumors regarding the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting quarterback for the 2016 season are running rampant, and the latest report has a familiar face returning. While former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly traded Nick Foles to the St. Louis Rams before the start of the 2015 season, there are whispers that new Eagles head coach Doug Pederson may want to bring him back. After all, Foles led the Eagles to a 10-6 record in 2013 and finished the year with an astounding 27 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. After an injury-plagued 2014 season, it appeared as though the Eagles may have given up on him prematurely.
Adam Schefter of ESPN first reported the Eagles’ apparent interest in Foles.
A name to watch with Eagles’ off-season QB maneuvers: Nick Foles. Eagles’ HC Doug Pederson drafted Foles and is interested, per NFL sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 7, 2016
With his numerous inside sources, Schefter is considered one of the most trusted and respected NFL analysts. After the tweet came out, practically everyone in the Philadelphia and national media started reporting the rumor.
Schefter: Eagles won’t use franchise tag on Sam Bradford; could be interested in Nick Foles https://t.co/AtdlnjSLlA pic.twitter.com/Frq3XJd4lt
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) February 7, 2016
Adam Schefter report is real— Eagles won’t franchise Bradford and may pursue Foles. Here’s video of report https://t.co/MtQD7iHfT8
— Crossing Broad (@CrossingBroad) February 7, 2016
Over the next few hours, speculation began on how the Eagles would actually acquire Foles. Since he is still under contract with the Rams, they cannot just sign him. If they wanted to trade for him there would also be other implications regarding the salary cap. While the Rams may not want to move forward with Foles as their starting quarterback, it could be in their best interest from a financial standpoint to hold onto him until the cost of moving him goes down. As reported by Comcast Sportsnet , 2017 will be the best year to get rid of Foles.
While everyone imagined how Foles would fit into Pederson’s offense, Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News reported that the rumor is false.
League source with knowledge of the situation: The Eagles are not considering bringing back Nick Foles, though Pederson did like him..
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) February 7, 2016
Source also says cap numbers on Foles being traded by Rams wouldn’t work.
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) February 7, 2016
Also, Source says no decision has been reached on franchising Bradford. First day for tag Feb. 16, and u don’t even have to decide then
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) February 7, 2016
While Schefter is considered a trusted source that is usually right, it appears as though Bowen has the inside scoop on this rumor. Being so close to the team, Bowen has directly spoken to members of the Eagles’ organization that are saying there is no chance that Foles is the quarterback next season.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr , Sam Bradford has apparently stated that he wants to re-sign with the Eagles. While Bradford struggled in the first half of the 2015 season, he was much better throughout the final eight games. In addition to setting a few Eagles’ records, Bradford seemed to finally be fully healthy after undergoing another ACL surgery in 2014.
While fans were down on Bradford because of the Eagles’ poor play last season, there were numerous factors that went into it. Sure, the quarterback is the most important player on the field, but the Eagles’ defense and wide receivers did not do Bradford any favors. Numerous dropped passes on third down stalled drives, and the defense just could not get off the field when it needed to.
According to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer , there is a good chance that Bradford returns for 2016.
Still don’t get why anyone would want Nick Foles for around $8M. Gut still says Sam Bradford returns.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) February 7, 2016
The only issue is how much money Bradford is apparently demanding. While salaries are rising, Bradford has been rumored to be asking for close to $25 million a year. There is no chance the Eagles pay anywhere close to this figure, so Bradford is going to have to lower his demands if he wants to return to Philadelphia. Another option is to franchise him, but that is also going to be costly. And even if the Eagles do decide to franchise Bradford, they could potentially strain their relationship with him as most players prefer a long-term contract for security.
While the rumors regarding Nick Foles returning to the Philadelphia Eagles turned out to be false, the team still needs a quarterback. Sam Bradford is the most likely candidate to return, but the Eagles could draft a young quarterback and groom him under backup Mark Sanchez.
[Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images]
