August 08, 2024
Nick Foles is bringing one of the most uniquely incredible NFL careers to an official close.
The longtime quarterback, who was drafted by the Eagles, traded away, signed back, and then led them to the impossible of that first Super Bowl title, announced his retirement Thursday morning – doing so as an Eagle.
At the same time, the Eagles announced that they will be honoring Foles during their Week 2 home opener against the Atlanta Falcons on September 16, the same opponent that they outlasted together in the divisional round going on seven years ago to jumpstart what would become that underdog Super Bowl run.
Here's the retirement announcement Foles posted to social media earlier Thursday:
After much thought and prayer, I've decided to retire from the NFL. It's been an incredible 11-year journey filled with unforgettable moments and amazing people. From being drafted by the Eagles to winning the Super Bowl, every step has been a blessing.
— Nick Foles (@NickFoles) August 8, 2024
I'm excited to spend more… pic.twitter.com/2uI5az5Eoc
Foles was a third-round draft pick by the Eagles in 2012 out of Arizona, back when Michael Vick was the starting quarterback, but as the Andy Reid era was at its end and with Chip Kelly coming in and looking to shake up the team in his own image.
That led to a 24-year old Foles stepping in under center, which he met with a staggering 27 touchdown - 2 interception season that helped propel the Eagles to a playoff berth in Kelly's first year as coach. It never seemed to be enough though. Foles returned in 2014, but Kelly always came off as non-commital to the quarterback, and eventually did ship him off ahead of the 2015 season as part of the mass exodus that saw star skill players LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson get ousted, too – to disastrous results.
Foles spent the 2015 season with the St. Louis Rams after being traded there, where he admitted he started losing his love for football, then started re-discovering it in 2016 when he re-united with Reid in Kansas City.
Then in 2017, there was a chance to return to Philadelphia and the stars began to align. The Eagles needed a backup for their, at the time, franchise quarterback Carson Wentz. A reunion with Foles seemed like a good fit for the job and he signed on.
The 2017 Eagles proceeded to take off as one of the most dominant teams in the NFL, Wentz looked like the clear-cut MVP, and Philadelphia looked headed straight to the Super Bowl.
Then Wentz tore his ACL late in the season against the now Los Angeles Rams. The wheels should've fallen off right then and there. But they never did.
Foles stepped in and stayed poised within former head coach Doug Pederson's system, and though there were a couple of shaky weeks to close out the regular season, Foles and the Eagles went into the playoffs and withstood the defending NFC champion Falcons then completely trounced the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC title game to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl.
Tom Brady and the dynasty New England Patriots were the last obstacle standing in their way. Foles matched one of the NFL's greatest QBs ever beat for beat in a shootout, executed on one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history, and then, finally, claimed Super Bowl MVP in the one win, and the one celebration, that Philadelphia had waited decades for.
The Philly Special: Mic’d Up Edition 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/G46EkEth01
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 8, 2024
Foles returned to the Eagles for 2018 – he had to – but did so knowing the organization had its wagon hitched to Wentz, not that it ever put any debate about who should really be the starting QB to bed.
He started the season and got the Eagles by until Wentz was cleared, but when injuries sidelined their No. 1 again, Foles stepped right back in and found a way to push the Eagles back into the playoffs and arguably one completion short of a return to the NFC Championship game.
Foles signed a big free agent deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the spring right after, but it was a situation that never worked out. He then cycled around as a backup and third-stringer in Indianapolis and Chicago in the three seasons that followed, occasionally showing flashes of some magic he still had left when his number was called, but he eventually did take a step back from football with his future at the time up in the air.
The 35-year old hasn't been signed on with a team since 2022 – he has become a pickleball god though.
"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to retire as a Philadelphia Eagle,” Foles said in an Eagles press release. “The City of Brotherly Love has always felt like home to me as an NFL player. Philadelphia is a city I truly love, and it has been an honor to wear the Eagles jersey. Thank you, Philadelphia, for embracing me and making me a part of your family forever. Your love and support have meant the world. Fly, Eagles, Fly!"
Ending it where it all started.
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 8, 2024
Nick Foles will officially retire from the NFL as an Eagle when he returns to Philly on Monday, September 16 for our home opener vs. the Falcons. pic.twitter.com/dgVvfnv3ua
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