June 01, 2018
If it were any other quarterbacks, in any other city, on any other team, things likely wouldn't have worked out this way.
A Super Bowl MVP being graciously accepting of his back up role, months after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in franchise history.
If it wasn't Nick Foles and Carson Wentz — their deep bond and friendship — the Eagles would not have been crowned world champions. And they would not be among the favorites to repeat (even with their potential MVP sidelined as he recovers from ACL surgery.
"The big thing is, we have gone through a lot in the quarterback room, me and Carson," Foles said Tuesday during OTAs. "The big thing about us is, we are honest with one another and our friendship always comes first. He's injured and watching me, and that’s hard… it's definitely a different dynamic but it wouldn’t work if we weren’t good friends and understanding one another.
"It gets a little tricky but not for us – we are handling it like men in the locker room."
Entering just his third NFL season, Wentz had to stand on the sidelines and watch the Eagles, a team he led to 10 victories before his Week 14 injury, win the Super Bowl without him. Foles has to see his name mentioned in trade rumors all over sports media as his position as back up quarterback continues to create headlines.
Wentz will get the nod to start Week 1 if he is healthy. An incentive-laden contract with a mutual option for 2019 was signed by Foles to keep him around but Wentz is still the future of the franchise and, as he showed in 2017, one of the top players in the entire NFL.
The two QBs have put aside professional differences and their chemistry, friendship and respect is one of the main catalysts for the great locker room culture that many credit as the key to much of Philly's success.
It's hard to deny it.
"I haven’t seen too many examples of a tighter kinship," veteran defensive lineman Chris Long said. "Carson had every opportunity to be bummed, but they support each other and keep supporting each other. It’s a microcosm of our team."
Anything could happen between now and September, including a Foles trade or a Foles start in Week 1. As is often the case for pro athletes, you can only control what you can control.
"That’s a tough feeling," Long said, "knowing you could be the man in a lot of places but he's being a key player. There are other situations less talked about in this locker room where guys are doing that too and it’s a great example for our team."
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