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Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
Sport
Gary Klein

Rams release quarterback Nick Foles

The Nick Foles era with the Rams officially ended Wednesday when the team released the veteran quarterback a day before veterans were due to report to training camp.

Foles requested the release, a person with knowledge of the situation said.

Foles' future with the Rams was in doubt two weeks before the NFL draft when they consummated a trade with the Tennessee Titans for the No. 1 pick, positioning them to choose quarterback Jared Goff.

It was inglorious end to a short chapter of Rams history that started with promise.

The Rams traded quarterback Sam Bradford to the Philadelphia Eagles for Foles before last season and then signed Foles to a $24.5 million extension.

Foles was set to earn $8.75 million in salary and bonuses this season, according to spotrac.com.

Foles, 27, opened last season as the starter but Fisher benched him in favor of Case Keenum, who started the final five games.

Foles completed 56 percent of his passes, including seven for touchdowns, with 10 interceptions.

The Rams tried to move Foles during the draft but found no teams willing to give up a draft pick. He was absent from organized team activities in June, a situation that Fisher described as mutually agreed upon.

"We're on the same page and we're trying to work things out," Fisher told reporters after a workout.

"If Nick comes back, we'll definitely welcome him with open arms," receiver Tavon Austin said. "If not, we definitely understand what's going on."

The Rams could have brought Foles to camp with the hope that another team's injury situation might precipitate a trade.

Instead, they opted to avoid any distractions.

If Goff flourishes, Foles might one day be remembered as the player who made it possible.

The Rams traded up from No. 15 to No. 1 to take Goff, and it was the Bradford-Foles swap that enabled them to make it happen.

As part of the March 2015 deal with the Eagles, the Rams also received a second-round pick this year.

In the trade with the Titans, the Rams gave up their No. 15 pick, as well and two second-round picks, a third-round pick and first- and third-rounds picks next year.

The extra second-round pick acquired in the Foles trade enabled them to outbid other teams, including the Eagles, for the top pick.

"That's really the only reason that we were able to do that, is because we had the multiple twos," Fisher said after the trade.

The Rams have four quarterbacks on the roster: Goff, Keenum, second-year pro Sean Mannion and Dylan Thompson, who was signed during organized team activities.

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