After it was reported that the Philadelphia Eagles would let Nick Foles walk, they have reportedly decided to pick up his 2019 option.
Well, the Philadelphia Eagles offseason just got a lot more interesting. The entire dilemma about what to do with the backup quarterback Nick Foles has apparently been decided. However, this is just the beginning of what is about to go down.
As we all know, the Eagles re-structured Foles’ contract last season, which added a mutual option for the 2019 season that would cost $20 million. Assuming since Foles wants to start, and the Eagles decided to stick with their first-round franchise quarterback, Carson Wentz, it seemed inevitable that Foles would find himself another team for 2019.
Considering that the Eagles are somewhat desperate for cap space, it didn’t seem like picking up Foles’ option in an attempt to trade him was really worth the headache. But according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Eagles have every intention of picking up the second-year option. Now, we just have to assume that they are doing it in an attempt to get something in return for Foles.
What are the Eagles’ options now?
From Super Bowl Live: The #Eagles are expected to pick up the $20M option for QB Nick Foles, sources say. Not a surprise, but an important piece. What happens next will be intriguing. pic.twitter.com/FOpLeAhQu1
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 2, 2019
As Ian Rapoport explained, the Eagles will pick up the $20 million option, but Nick Foles could easily buy his way out for $2 million. In that case, Foles automatically becomes a free agent, and the Eagles would then have to franchise tag him in order to have the chance to trade Foles away. According to Rapoport’s source, that’s what might end up happening, since there’s a good chance that Foles could see a lot more than $20 million on the free agency market.
At this point, it’s pretty clear that Foles is going to find himself elsewhere next year, but we’re just not sure how it’s going to go down yet. Unless the Eagles guarantee that Foles will get an opportunity to win over the starting position in training camp and the preseason, then there’s a good chance that he will not be in midnight green playing for the Eagles next season. Carson Wentz is the future at the position, and Foles wants one last shot at starting.