The parade honoring the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl victory is tomorrow. Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles gets to be showered with love by the Philadelphia faithful. However, once the confetti stops falling and the champagne stops flowing, the Eagles must figure out what to do with Foles. Franchise quarterback Carson Wentz tore his ACL in December and likely won’t be ready for the season opener and Foles is under contract for one more season with a $7.6 million cap hit. That wouldn’t be a big deal but the Eagles will be cash-strapped. Howie Roseman built a championship roster and now the bill comes due.
When Foles got hot there were a few click-baity headlines suggesting the Eagles trade Wentz. This is absurd. The Eagles wouldn’t part with Wentz who not only had an MVP-caliber season prior to his injury but will have him for three more cost-controlled years off his rookie contract. That being said, Wentz isn’t likely to be ready for the opener considering he had surgery in December. Given how important culture is to that locker room, they won’t just trade Foles without consulting him first.
If Nick Foles wants to stay and is willing to give Wentz the keys whenever he comes back then problem solved. Should that scenario come to pass they can always trade him at the deadline a la Jimmy Garoppolo last season. If Foles indicates that he doesn’t want to be a backup anymore then they owe it to him to find him a new team. Luckily, the Eagles will have a ton of suitors knocking once the Kirk Cousins sweepstakes comes to an end.
If the Chiefs were able to get a third-round pick and a star corner for Alex Smith, Foles should net the Eagles a huge windfall. The Broncos, Cardinals, Browns, Jets and Bills will all be in the running. Denver could forfeit their fifth-overall pick and a player. The Jets could offer their sixth overall and additional later round picks. The Browns and Bills have multiple picks in the first three rounds. The Cardinals could offer picks and a player. In the case of the Browns and Jets, they could also immediately offer a lucrative long-term extension bigger than the $94 million extension Washington gave Smith.
Nick Foles will never be more valuable than he is right now. The Eagles would love to clear some cap space and be able to reload with cost controlled draft picks. Foles will get a chance to start his own team. It is likely he isn’t only thinking about starting or money but also his situation. He would likely want to go somewhere that will run a system akin to what Doug Pederson ran in Philadelphia.
It is wild to think that Nick Foles would go from quitting football two years ago to being Super Bowl MVP and now being coveted by multiple teams. The Eagles went from being 7-9 to champions and are now trying to solve the ultimate first world NFL problem. Whatever happens, once the league year starts on March 14, all eyes will be on the champs.