It was a trade that last offseason looked like a great deal for one team and a potentially disastrous deal for another. By season’s end, however, the trade that should have solidified the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams quarterback situation with Nick Foles and finally allowed Sam Bradford to reach his real potential did neither. Both teams involved, the Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles now have some hard decisions to make and I think something crazy is about to happen. Let me set it up.
Last March Bradford was entering the final year of his incredibly expensive rookie contract. Bradford and his agent wanted a long-term deal that would offer no salary cap help for the Rams and the Rams weren’t so eager to give a player that kind of deal who was coming off two knee surgeries. On the Eagles’ side, Chip Kelly was in the third year of his contract and had figured out one thing, Nick Foles was not the quarterback for his offense. So the two teams made a trade. Whether Kelly really felt that Bradford was the guy that could run the show or would be easier to package in a trade with the Tennessee Titans for the No. 2 pick, he’s never made that call. Though he try to unsuccessfully make that trade.
As part of the Foles – Bradford deal, the Rams got the Eagles’ second round pick in 2016 and the Eagles got the Rams’ fifth-round pick last season. Foles, who was also in the final year of his rookie deal would sign a two-year extension with the Rams worth $24.5 million. Bradford and the Eagles would never come to terms on a new contract.
With a new, healthy quarterback and the best roster the team had since 2003, Jeff Fisher still found a way to screw things up for the Rams. Foles was the victim of Fisher’s own hand-picked offensive hires and a rookie-filled offensive line. Before the season was over Foles was on the bench. He would finish the season playing in 11 games, completing 56.4 percent of his passes for 2,052 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Fisher fired the offensive coordinator he hired in the offseason, Frank Cignetti, and replaced him with Rob Boras about halfway through the season. The Rams finished 7-9. Jeff Fisher was not fired, but was also not offered a contract extension and will coach out the final year of his contract in 2016.
Bradford started off slow for the Eagles, but picked up his performance at the end of the season. Bradford completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,725 yards, appeared in 14 games and tossed 19 touchdowns and 14 picks. The Eagles also finished 7-9 and Chip Kelly was fired a week before the season ended.
You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts!
Here’s where everything is about to go crazy. Foles is due a $6 million roster in March and if Fisher doesn’t think he’s the guy, the Rams will want to cut bait and set him loose. Now, as I write that I’m not an advocate for it. Foles should have never been benched last season and is easily the best quarterback on the Rams roster. If they go into camp with an honest competition this year, he’ll easily beat out Sean Mannion and Case Keenum. But Fisher has never put it together that he’s the problem, that the offensive staff he hires is the problem. So he probably wants to send Foles packing.
In Philadelphia Doug Pederson is in as the new head coach and he’s a Foles fan. Foles and Pederson know each other and the rookie head coach may be more than willing to bring Foles in to run his offense. What will it take? Well, the Eagles could wait and see if the Rams cut him but by doing that they have to wait in line behind 12 other teams in the NFL’s waiver system. If any of those 12 teams put in a claim on Foles the Eagles miss out completely.
A name to watch with Eagles' off-season QB maneuvers: Nick Foles. Eagles' HC Doug Pederson drafted Foles and is interested, per NFL sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 7, 2016
I can tell you right now that the Cleveland Browns undoubtedly would claim Foles and they’ve got the first shot. I think the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears would put in claims too and all three of those teams are ahead of the Eagles. To ensure they land Foles, the Eagles will have to trade for him, a guy they traded away the season before. It won’t cost a lot. Hell, it may just cost a sixth or seventh-round pick, but the irony of giving up a pick for Foles in a draft they’ve already given up a pick to get rid of him shouldn’t be lost on anyone.
For those who missed it: Eagles will not use franchise tag on QB Sam Bradford and they are expected to inquire about adding QB Nick Foles.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 8, 2016
Here’s where everything really goes off the rails. You’ve seen plenty of mock drafts where the Rams pick a quarterback in the first round. And they might, but counting on a rookie quarterback to get the job done is a one-way ticket to the unemployment line for Fisher and he knows it. He has, unquestionably, not gotten the job done with the Rams and will have earned his joblessness. His ego is too big to go down like that.
It’s why I think the Rams will take a wide receiver in the first round and Fisher will be looking to add a quarterback in free agency with the hopes that he can put together a playoff season and keep his job. The best quarterback out there is going to be Sam Bradford, the guy that convinced Fisher to take the Rams job in the first place. Bradford’s play last season doesn’t justify a big, guaranteed contract. Bradford can be signed for a decent deal, especially one with a lot of performance incentives.
So here’s the crazy thing I’m predicting. The 2016 starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles will be Nick Foles. The 2016 starting quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams will be Sam Bradford. See? Insane.
