When word hit early in the offseason that the St. Louis (for now) Rams and quarterback Nick Foles were working on a contract extension, it sounded plausible, but it seemed like everyone inside and outside of St. Louis just stopped talking about it. We should have learned by now that silence usually means a deal is on the way.
Coach Fisher announces quarterback @NFoles_9 has signed a two-year extension with the team. #FolesFriday pic.twitter.com/ShE0SajbGy
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 8, 2015
Friday night it happened, with Foles and the Rams agreeing to a two-year extension that will keep him under contract through the 2017 seasons and pay him $8.67 million a year. As bargains go, this one is outstanding as Foles is the 21st highest paid quarterback in the NFL now. Foles gets a significant raise and a little over $13 million guaranteed and the Rams get a starting quarterback for a little more than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are paying Jameis Winston.
#Rams gave Nick Foles a 2-year extension worth more than $24M, source says. Final year can void with Pro Bowl appearance or team performance
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 8, 2015
If this seems like a risk for Foles, it isn’t. If he performs at a Pro Bowl level like he did in 2013, he can void the final year of the deal and probably re-sign in the high double digit millions. If he doesn’t, then he’s still making almost $7 million more than he would have if he’d kept his old contract and has some job security to go along with it. Before this deal Foles was making almost the same salary this year as his back-up, Austin Davis.
The Rams acquired Foles back in March, sending quarterback Sam Bradford to the Philadelphia Eagles and pocketing a 2016 second round pick in the process. Foles, according to every report out of St. Louis, has completely taken over the offense as a leader on and off the field and with an underrated receiving corps that includes Kenny Britt, Brian Quick, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey and tight ends Jared Cook and Lance Kendricks, we could see break out seasons from more than one, if not all of those players.
“He (Foles) is everything that you want in a quarterback, everything that you’ve always wanted,” Cook said earlier in the offseason. “It just feels like he belongs here, and it feels like he’s been here for a while, which is a good piece. It’s what we need.”
The thing about losing with a good, hard-luck team, is that the Rams have been able to stockpile talent in the draft over the last few years, even going back to former head coach Steve Spagnuolo’s tenure. The production of these skill players, playing with back up QBs for the last two years, should not be an indication of their talent. The Rams have been a quarterback away from the playoffs since 2013 and now they’ve gotten that taken care of. Not only they, they’ve gotten some insurance for the present (Davis and Case Keenum) and the future (Sean Mannion) so they have an answer if something does happen to Foles.
.@NFoles_9: “I’m just thankful to be here—be with these guys, be with the Rams. Ever since I’ve been here…the team’s opened its arms to me.”
— Myles Simmons (@MylesASimmons) August 8, 2015
But there’s no question that Foles is the man in St. Louis, and maybe Los Angeles next season.
“He (Foles) can make every throw,” Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said. “Talking to his teammates, they really like the way he runs the huddle and manages the offense. So I’m very pleased with where he’s going right now.”
From a Rams perspective, the offense should be as explosive, if not less complicated, than the one Foles ran in Philadelphia. It will definitely require Foles to do less with his legs and with running backs Todd Gurley and Tre Mason in the backfield, there’s no question the defense will have to play honest against the run, opening up opportunities downfield for the receivers. The Rams have moved Austin to an outside position, so they’re sending him downfield and replacing him in the slot with Bailey or with the bigger bodied Quick and Britt.
It’s going to be a different offense, but one built for a player with Foles’ skillset.
The biggest question is on the offensive line, but all the Rams need is for two of the multiple offensive lineman they acquired this offseason through the draft and supplemental draft to pan out as NFL starters and they’ll be fine.
Foles has the team, he has the contract and now he’s been given the keys. Let’s see what he can do with them.
