When the Philadelphia Eagles elected to set Nick Foles free, he became the hottest free agent quarterback of the 2019 offseason. Foles is a Super Bowl MVP and has proven, especially in the Eagles’ playoff run this season, he’s a big game quarterback. All he needs is the right situation or, barring that, just to be kept within 100 miles of anyone associated with Jeff Fisher.
Foles will obviously land on a team soon enough when Free Agency officially begins. Who’s that going to be? Needless to say, we have some odds for you to peruse.
Nick Foles team in Week 1 of the 2019 NFL Season
Washington Redskins +200
Jacksonville Jaguars +300
Miami Dolphins +400
Arizona Cardinals +800
Los Angeles Rams +1000
New York Giants +1000
Dallas Cowboys +1200
Oakland Raiders +1200
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +1500
San Francisco 49ers +2000
Carolina Panthers +2000
Tennessee Titans +2500
Philadelphia Eagles +3000
Buffalo Bills +5000
New York Jets +5000
In spite of the Redskins being the odds-on favorite here, I think you can cross them off. They just made a trade with the Denver Broncos for Case Keenum and already have a quarterback, Colt McCoy, that Jay Gruden really likes. In spite of his horrific injury, there’s no guarantee Alex Smith is done and he’s still under contract. I don’t see them opening their checkbook, in spite of Dan Snyder’s history, to make a Foles deal happen. That doesn’t mean they’re out of the quarterback market, just that they’ll probably look to add a guy to their quarterback room in the draft and roll the dice with Keenum.
The next two teams are the most intriguing to me. The Jaguars are a natural fit for Foles. They have talent on offense, a solid running game and a defense that can shut opponents down. All they’ve needed for the past two seasons is a real quarterback upgrade and Foles would be that instantly. For them, it’s all about how much they love the two top rookies, Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins and how sure they are one of them will be there when they pick at No. 7 in the NFL Draft.
The Dolphins have their own issues to overcome, namely that they already have a starter under contract, the oft-injured Ryan Tannehill. There’s been speculation that they’ll cut or try to trade Tannehill this offseason, but neither have happened as of this writing. The reason to keep Tannehill is obvious, his talent and the team’s ability to win when he’s on the field. The reasons to cut him are just as obvious; he’s rarely been on the field over the last couple of seasons. Is Foles a talent upgrade over Tannehill? Nope. But he’s a winner and more durable and it doesn’t matter how good a guy is if he’s on the sidelines in street clothes.
You want a wild card here? I’ll give you two; the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders. How much is Jon Gruden married to Derek Carr? It doesn’t seem like that’s a solid relationship. Jameis Winston has more than worn out his welcome in Tampa Bay. The Bucs picked up his fifth year option, but that doesn’t mean they won’t send him packing for the right deal and sign Foles, who will come with none of the off-the-field baggage that Winston brings.
Regardless of all that, if I’m putting any money down, I say go with the Jags. It just makes too much sense.
