He has been cut, traded and a Super Bowl MVP. Oh, and Nick Foles’ NFL career only started in 2012, so it isn’t like he has been around for 15 seasons. A look at the wild ride the new Chicago Bears quarterback has taken since being drafted out of Arizona.
College
Nick Foles should have been prepared for movement in the pros by his college career. He started out at Michigan State in 2007 and played one game, going 5-of-8 against Alabama-Birmingham. He transferred to Arizona. Foles threw for more than 10,000 yards and 67 touchdowns in three seasons from 2009-11.
NFL Draft 2012: Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles selected Nick Foles in the third round of the NFL Draft. He was the 88th pick and signed a four-year contract with the team on May 21. Michael Vick was injured in Week 10 and Foles went in against the Dallas Cowboys. On Dec. 3, 2012, coach Andy Reid announced that Foles would start for the remainder of the year, regardless of when Vick returned from the concussion he had suffered. On Dec. 23, Foles broke his hand against Washington, and was replaced by Vick in the season finale against the Giants.
2013: The Pro Bowl
Nick Foles finished the 2013 regular season with 27 touchdown passes and only 2 interceptions, surpassing Tom Brady’s 2010 season mark of 36/4 for the best TD-INT ratio in NFL history. Foles led the Eagles to a playoff berth. Playing host to the New Orleans Saints, the Eagles lost on a last-minute field goal, 26–24. Foles was assigned to the Pro Bowl as an alternate. Despite being on the losing side, Foles went 7-for-10 for 89 yards and a go-ahead touchdown. Foles won the Pro Bowl Offensive MVP award, which included a GMC truck.
2014: Back to earth
In Week 8, Nick Foles set a franchise record for most completions in a game with 36 and threw a career-high 62 times in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals, finishing with 411 passing yards and two touchdowns. The following week in a game against the Houston Texans, Foles left the game during the first half with a broken collarbone, which ended his season with 2,163 yards passing in eight games, and a 13–10 TD-INT ratio.
2015: Dealt to the Rams
On March 10, 2015, the Eagles traded Foles, a 2015 fourth-round pick, and a 2016 second-round pick to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for Sam Bradford and a 2015 fifth-round pick. Foles signed a two-year, $24.5 million extension with the Rams on Aug. 7. He was 4-7 as a starter and threw for 2,052 yards with seven TD passes and 10 picks.
2016: Cut and on to Kansas City
Upset that the Rams drafted quarterback Jared Goff with the first overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, Foles requested and was granted his release on July 27. Foles signed with the Chiefs on Aug, 3. It was a one-year deal worth $1.75 million and included a second-year option for 2017, worth between $6.75 million and $16 million depending on his performance. Foles won his lone start as a Chief. Overall, he threw for 410 yards and three TDs.
2017: Back to Philly for a Super season
On March 9, the Chiefs declined a second-year option on his contract, making him a free agent. On March 13, Foles signed a two-year contract to return to the Philadelphia Eagles to back up 2016 first-round pick Carson Wentz. During Week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams, Foles came in relief of Wentz, who left the game with a torn ACL. Foles completed 6-of-10 passes for 42 yards as the Eagles won 43–35, clinching their first division title since 2013. On Dec.11, Doug Pederson announced Foles would be the starter for the rest of the season. Foles was 2-1 in the regular season and went on a magical run in the playoffs, leading the Eagles to their first Super Bowl championship. In his MVP performance against the Patriots, Foles threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns and caught a TD pass on the legendary “Philly Special.”
2018: Benched, starts and …
On April 20, Foles and the Eagles agreed on a revised contract that would contain a $2 million bonus, millions in incentives if he were to become the starting quarterback, and a 2019 mutual option. Foles helped lead the Eagles to a 1–1 record before Wentz was announced as the starter for Week 3. Wentz sat out a Week 15 game against the Rams, thus giving Foles his third start of the season. In Week 16, Foles started against the Houston Texans where he threw for 471 yards with 35 completions on 49 attempts and four touchdowns with one interception in a 32–30 victory. The 471 yards broke Donovan McNabb’s record for most passing yards by an Eagles quarterback in a single game. In a Week 17 game against Washington, Foles tied the NFL record for consecutive pass completions with 25 in a row. Foles led the Eagles to a playoff victory over the Chicago Bears and then almost pushed Philly by the Saints before the season ended against New Orleans.
2019: Signs with Jaguars
On March 13, 2019, Foles signed a four-year contract worth $88 million with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In Week 1 suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter and was ruled out the rest of the game. Foles had suffered a broken left clavicle and underwent surgery the next day. He was activated in November and was named the starting quarterback over rookie Gardner Minshew. In Week 13 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Foles completed 7-of-14 passes for 93 yards with one interception and no touchdowns (and lost two fumbles) before being benched for Minshew with the Jaguars losing 25–0 at halftime. Days after the game, head coach Doug Marrone announced Foles would be benched and Minshew would retake the starting job. Foles finished with four starts, throwing for three touchdowns and two interceptions.
2020: On to Chicago
The Jacksonville Jaguars dealt Nick Foles to the Chicago Bears for a compensatory fourth-round pick on March 18. He is expected to replace Mitchell Trubisky, a former No. 2 overall pick, as Chicago’s starter.
