6 fantastic stops on Nick Foles amazing Eagles journey

Well... We didn't think we'd be telling this story today, but that's what we love about this beautiful game of football and our Philadelphia Eagles. No one knows what to expect. That's a constant in team sports, it's unpredictable nature. Nick's entry into this team was a surprise, and it's only fitting that we were surprised by the announcement of his exit.

The only man walking Planet Earth who can say he led the Eagles to a Super Bowl win as their starting quarterback has determined he'll hang the cleats up and ride off into the sunset. He announced this via his social media accounts.

We didn't want to simply write the 'Nick Foles retires' story. You'll see 30 of those. We thought he deserved better than that. This feels like a time for a better story (or several).

There are so many moments we can share about Nick's pair of stints in the City of Brotherly Love with the Birds. We've trimmed it to five. How about we do something like this?

Here are a half-dozen unforgettable stops on Nick Foles wild ride of an NFL career.

Yeah... This is more like it. Someone as near and dear to our hearts as 'Saint' Nick Foles deserves the proper sendoff.

1. The Eagles have Michael Vick on the roster and draft Nick Foles anyway.

Remember when the Eagles had just signed Carson Wentz to a big extension and decided to draft Jalen Hurts anyway? Well, that isn't the first time we had seen something like that happen. We also saw this on at least two other occasions.

Some raised eyebrows when Philly drafted Kevin Kolb in Round 2 of the 2007 NFL Draft. That seemed weird because there were other needs, and Donovan McNabb was firmly entrenched as the starter. We also saw Andy Reid take Foles in Round 3 of the 2012 NFL Draft despite having Michael Vick.

The 2012 Eagles season would be Reid's last in Philly after a 4-12 finish. Big Red did set the Birds up nicely though. That year's draft class featured Foles, Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks, and Vinny Curry and would serve as part of the core for a team that won the Super Bowl a little over five years later.

More on that in a second...

2. Andy Reid names Nick Foles as the Eagles' starter.

After there being speculation over whether or not it would be Nick Foles or Michael Vick starting the Week 9 Monday Night Football Game versus the New Orleans Saints, Reid went with Vick. Mike left the following week's game against the Dallas Cowboys with concussion symptoms. Foles threw his first TD pass to Jeremy Maclin, and on Monday, Dec 3, 2012, after Nick's first start in Week 11, Reid announced Foles would start the rest of the season.

The rest, as they say is history.

3. Foles ties an NFL record for TD passes in a single game.

Aside from his night in Super Bowl LII, there may not be a game that further makes us ask what might have been than seeing Nick toss seven TDs in a game versus what was then the Oakland Raiders. This was one of those moments you just had to witness.

Tossing seven TDs meant Nick would tie an NFL record. Sid Luckman did so in 1943. A fellow Eagle, Adrian Burk, did so in 1954. The feat has also been equaled by George Blanda (1961), Y.A. Tittle (1962), Joe Kapp (1969). Peyton Manning (2013), and Drew Brees (2015).

Few looked better than Nick while doing so however.

He set the NFL record for the highest completion percentage in a 7-TD passing performance while doing so (78.5%). He crafted a perfect passer rating while doing so (158.3), and he tied the record for the best TD-to-interception ratio while doing so (seven TDs, zero interceptions).

4. Chip Kelly trades Nick Foles to the Rams.

You can't tell the story of Nick's journey without mentioning Chip Kelly's decision to trade him for Sam Bradford in 2013. Ouch... That one still hurts, so we won't stay here long.

We just thank Howie Roseman for fixing this egregious error two years later. Foles returned home in March of 2017 after contemplating retirement, and again... The rest is history.

5. Three fantastic games in 2018

We know the story well. Carson Wentz is injured. Nick Foles steps in. The Eagles win the Super Bowl. Raise those glasses in celebration. How about that three-game playoff run that helped raise the trophy?

Foles led Philly to victory in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs over the Atlanta Falcons. He followed that effort by throwing three TD passes to help topple the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game.

You may have heard about his day in Super Bowl LII. He led the Birds to a win over the greatest dynasty in NFL history by throwing three TD passes. He also caught a TD pass. Hmmm. We wonder whet that play was called?

6. Saint Nick survives the Texans and the Double-Doink Game.

Saint Nick's brilliance wasn't just limited to an occasional scoring barrage here or there. He led Philly to quite a few important wins including those during the 2018 season as Philly attempted to defend its title.

Wouldn't you know it? Nick would fill in for Carson Wentz again before his return in Week 3 of the 2018 regular season and after he was lost for the season again after a Week 14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Nick returned to the starting lineup in Week 15 and delivered in three must-win games to send the Eagles to the NFL Playoffs. After dominating the Rams on Sunday Night Football, he led Philly to a heart-stopping 32-30 win over the Houston Texans before leading a dominating Eagles 24-0 win during the regular-season finale.

But, who could ever forget the 'Double-Doink Game', another heart-stopper in the playoffs versus the Chicago Bears? And, even though Philly came a few plays short of a second consecutive trip to the NFC Championship Game, Nick's legacy had long been secured.

He is now etched in stone... literally.

Bonus: Nick Foles gets a statue.

Foles has reached rare air in a tough sports town. He's beloved like Allen Iverson, Joe Frazier, Roy Halladay, and, dare we say, Jason Kelce and Brian Dawkins. He'll never have to buy a meal in Philly again if he doesn't want to, and there's a statue bearing his and Doug Pederson's likeness outside of Lincoln Financial Field.

Dang! What was that play called?

Nick hangs us the cleats sharing the NFL's records for consecutive pass completions with Philip Rivers and Ryan Tannehill (25). He's also the owner of the record for playoff career completion percentage (68.1%). He's a Super Bowl champion, the 2013 NFL season's passer rating leader, and the owner of Philly's record for career passer rating (92.9).

His achievements beyond what he accomplished in Philly never equaled what he manufactured in Eagles green, but that's okay. He's a Hall-of Famer to us. His faith inspires us. He'll always be our 'Saint Nick'.

Read more about the Eagles storied history