Philadelphia Eagles: 15 best free agent acquisitions of all-time
By Randy Gurzi
. QB. (2012-14, 2017-Present). Nick Foles. 1. player. 54
When the Eagles brought Nick Foles in for his second tenure with the club, there wasn’t much press at all. A former third-round pick of the Eagles, Foles actually started for the franchise back in 2013 and 2014. His first season as the primary starter saw Foles excel under head coach Chip Kelly after taking over for an injured Michael Vick.
In 13 games — and 10 starts — Foles completed 64 percent of his passes and had a remarkable 28-to-2 touchdown to interception ratio. The following year he came back down to earth, but was still 6-2 as a starter before a broken collarbone ended his season. Foles was then dealt to the then-St. Louis Rams along with two draft picks for Sam Bradford.
He had one uninspiring season under Jeff Fisher before being released and heading to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he re-joined Andy Reid, the head coach who drafted Foles in 2012 with Philadelphia.
Working with Reid, Foles appeared in three games and played well, but was still only garnering interest as a backup in free agency. That’s when he decided to go back to the club that drafted him and play behind Carson Wentz.
The move ended up working out brilliantly for both sides. Wentz tore his ACL late in the year and Foles stepped in to help the team finish 13-3. He then went into the playoffs and led the Eagles on a magical run that ended with their first-ever Super Bowl win.
In that game, Foles was on the receiving end of the most famous play in team history, as he caught a touchdown on a play called the “Philly Special.” Foles finished that game with 373 yards and three touchdowns, while winning the Super Bowl MVP.
He followed that up by going 4-1 as a starter this past season, while Wentz recovered from his ACL and then later suffered a back injury. Foles also led them to a road playoff win over the Chicago Bears, leading to a debate about what needs to happen with him in the future.
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Philadelphia is set to roll with Wentz as the future still, meaning Foles will be in a different uniform in 2019. Even with that being the case, his signing was a huge reason the Eagles are no longer a team without a Lombardi Trophy, which lands him at No. 1 all-time for Eagles free agency signings.