The Philadelphia Eagles fell short of expectations this year, losing in the divisional round to the New Orleans Saints.
The loss put an end to the Eagles’ hopes of defending their Super Bowl championship, but it also likely brought an end to the Nick Foles era in Philadelphia.
The Eagles have come out and said they support Carson Wentz as their starter moving forward, meaning Foles will likely receive the franchise tag and be traded.
If this is the end for Foles in Philly, there’s no question that the Eagles should announce that they will not reissue No. 9 again, and that the number will be retired in honor of Foles whenever his playing days are over.
Some may think that’s a stretch given that Foles really only had that one successful postseason run. But, that magical run to the Super Bowl is perhaps one of the greatest sports stories ever: A former starter of the Eagles gets traded away, contemplates retirement, only to return to the team that drafted him and replace the injured starter before guiding the team to their first Super Bowl victory.
You couldn’t write a script like that without every studio in Hollywood saying it’s the most cliché story ever, but this wasreal life. Sure, Foles doesn’t have the numbers like Donovan McNabb–who has his No. 5 retired–but the No. 9 represents more than just Foles. It represents that Super Bowl LII season. No. 9 for Eagles fans is as meaningful now as No. 12 is to the Seahawks.
Foles may never have gotten the chance to truly be the face of the franchise, but what he did for the Eagles will go down in sports lore as one of the greatest runs in Super Bowl history.
So, no matter where Foles ends up next season, the Eagles and their fans should all agree that retiring his number is the least the city can do for him.
