November 29, 2018
Hey everybody, remember Nick Foles? Is he alive? How come the cameras never show him Folesing around on the sideline when Carson Wentz gets drilled for the 15th time every week?
Nick Foles is the Super Bowl MVP and nobody interviews him anymore. It's like we don't even know him. It's upsetting.
We need to savor Nick Foles' presence while we still have it, Philadelphia, because the odds are he won't be back in midnight green next season.
In fact, he may have some appeal to the NFC East rival the Eagles just defeated last Sunday.
Writing for The New York Daily News, Pat Leonard argues that Nick Foles could be the perfect bridge quarterback for the Giants as they look to groom a long-term replacement for Eli Manning.
The key link between Foles and the Giants is head coach Pat Shurmur, who served as the Eagles' offensive coordinator in 2013, when Foles had his storied 27 TD, two interception season under head coach Chip Kelly. Shurmur also watched Foles dissect the Minnesota Vikings in last year's NFC Championship game when he served the same role there.
Assuming the Eagles decline to pick up Foles' $20 million option in 2019, any discussion of the issue will hinge on what New York decides to do with Eli Manning after two straight miserable seasons. In today's NFL, the Giants arguably have far too much offensive talent to be as terrible as they've become.
The question, of course, is what would the Giants prefer as their veteran stop-gap for 2019: a) Manning at a $23.2 million cap hit for 2019 on the final year of his current contract, or b) Foles at, say, a $20 million cap hit on a two-year, $40 million deal, making low-end starter money?
Perhaps John Mara and Steve Tisch never would choose Foles over Manning in that situation, and the Giants would prefer to ask Manning to take a paycut rather than cut him for someone like Foles.
Even if Manning is a popular figure in New York and in the locker room, it's hard to imagine the city and ownership tolerating another year in which his regression is the dominant narrative. That doesn't mean Foles is the answer. It just means Manning isn't.
But if the team isn't enamored by next year's first-round quarterback prospects and sees an opportunity to fortify another position — O-line and D-line both need help — then taking a chance on Foles could make sense once they get a better sense of his market.
If they feel the NFC East will be as up-for-grabs next year, as it is now, maybe rolling with a rookie quarterback would be conceding an opportunity that Foles' veteran leadership could manage well with the Giants' talent around him.
Foles is 29 years old. He's not Kurt Warner or even Carson Palmer, but we've seen veteran quarterbacks catch second winds when they're asked to be competent with skilled personnel.
For Eagles fans, there are two main questions here. First, how much would this scenario tarnish the pristine legacy Foles has earned for himself in Philadelphia? Secondly, do the Eagles have a reason to fear Nick Foles with Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquan Barkley in his arsenal?
It would be less than ideal to see Foles in a Giants uniform. It would be horrendous to ever watch him beat Wentz and the Eagles.
Fortunately, the Giants can't beat the Eagles anymore, even when the Eagles aren't very good.
This is a bridge Foles, the Eagles and Philadelphia will have to cross when they get there in the offseason.
For now, can we just get Foles some TV time again? A little wave or a warm-up toss. A timeout conversation with Doug and Carson on 4th and 7. God forbid some garbage time snaps.
Truthfully, if the Eagles come up short in the NFC East, a documentary on Foles' 2018-19 season would be more entertaining than the team's.
