CHICAGO _ Nick Foles believes he knows exactly why his football career didn't die when he was absolutely ready to let it. Foles is certain he understands why the flame barely flickering inside him never went out but instead became a roaring fire again.
When his one and only season with the Rams came to an end in 2015, Foles was seriously considering walking away. He was battered and fatigued by his on-field struggles. And that one year in St. Louis had been emotionally taxing to boot.
Foles had struggled to adapt to a new offense and, in retrospect, never asserted himself enough to persuade coaches to cater the system to his strengths. He played poorly. He was benched late in the season in favor of Case Keenum. And when the Rams finished 7-9 _ the franchise's ninth consecutive losing season _ Foles felt the full drain of an organization that had a shaken culture and too much of a losing vibe.
In so many ways, when Foles requested his release just before training camp in 2016, the 26-year-old quarterback was ready for his retirement. He felt worn down by feelings that he was no longer playing a game but trying to survive in a business. He was bothered by a sense that so few people around him truly cared about his well-being.
Still, when Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who had brought him into the league with the Eagles four years earlier, offered a life raft, Foles took a leap of faith. One more shot at this.
Said Foles: "I just told Andy during that time, 'There's a little spark inside me that might still be there that loves playing football. But I've got to be in the right culture to make that happen.' "
It's that 2016 season in Kansas City, Mo., that was truly the revival. Sure, it was a year in which Foles threw only 55 passes and made only one emergency November start in place of Alex Smith. But it was the year in which Foles fell in love with football again, a season in which he developed strong bonds with coaches and teammates and was reminded what makes him tick.
With Reid providing the positive energy and Chiefs quarterbacks coach Matt Nagy challenging and stimulating Foles daily, the quarterback felt his flickering flame getting its oxygen and growing day after day.
"It had nothing to do with football," Foles said Friday afternoon. "It had to do with the culture and the energy from the human beings within the organization that allowed me to (enjoy everything).
"Four days into training camp I started loving the game. This love of the game poured back in. The way I play the game, the way I look at the game, has changed forever."
In short, Foles said, he rediscovered a brotherhood where "everyone was in it together."
"The love of football came back because of the people that I was stepping into the huddle with and going to work with every day."
Now, as he begins this next leg of his football odyssey with the Bears as his fifth team and Nagy as his new head coach, Foles is convinced a similar vibe awaits.
"I'm excited to once again have this opportunity," Foles said. "It's amazing that it's happening."
