The Chiefs officially plan to decline Nick Foles' $6.75 million option on Thursday, a source confirmed to The Star.
The move is not a surprise, as news surfaced weeks ago that the Chiefs planned on declining the option. The club, however, has still expressed an interest in retaining Foles, according to the source.
The decision means the 28-year-old Foles will become a free agent.
The move leaves the Chiefs with about $7 million in cap room, according to OverTheCap.com.
That number includes the tenders the club has offered a pair of restricted free agents in safety Daniel Sorensen and kicker Cairo Santos. It also includes the $1.797 million original-round tender the club offered restricted free agent receiver Albert Wilson on Thursday, according to Pro Football Talk.
NFL Network reported the Foles news first.
The 6-foot-6, 243-pounder filled the role of the Chiefs' No. 2 quarterback admirably this year, completing 16 of 22 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-14 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 30 in relief of injured starter Alex Smith.
Foles wasn't quite as sharp the next week as the starter, completing 20 of 33 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown, but played well enough for the Chiefs to get a 19-14 win over a Jacksonville Jaguars team that finished 3-13. Smith returned to the starting lineup the next week against Carolina, and Foles never played another down.
