Five reasons why Nick Foles will not return to Philadelphia

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Earlier today, ESPN and Adam Schefter reported that not only are the Eagles not going to put a franchise tag on Sam Bradford, but Philadelphia Head Coach Doug Pederson actually has interest in…Nick Foles. Now this of course has sent social media into meltdown and whilst the report of the Eagles not wanting to tag Bradford is convincing, we’re here to give five reasons why Nick Foles will not be coming back to Philadelphia.

5) Howie Roseman
Head Coach Doug Pederson played a large role in the drafting of Foles back in 2012 as the Eagles Quarterbacks Coach, Roseman didn’t. Instead, Roseman was intent on drafting Kirk Cousins..imagine what could have been. But that’s besides the point, Roseman was actually just as ready to trade Foles as Kelly was during the final year of his tenure as the Eagles General Manager.

Roseman has been making major waves by securing the long-term futures of Zach Ertz, Lane Johnson, Vinny Curry and Brent Celek. Roseman has been extending “Howie Roseman guys”..it’s hard to see Roseman agreeing with Pederson’s apparent views on Foles after never being hot on him from the start and being so intent on a trade despite coming off of that miraculous 2013 campaign. Not only that, but a trade of that magnitude would be such an anomaly in his work so far in this off-season that it would make many question his authority in Philadelphia.

4) 2015
To put things very, very simply..Sam Bradford proved that he has the potential to be great in 2015 and Nick Foles simply didn’t. Despite being surrounded by the likes of Todd Gurley and Tavon Austin,he ended his 11 game campaign with a Quarterback rating of 30, throwing 10 touchdowns and 7 interceptions before being benched in favor of Case Keenum. Foles was atrocious in 2015..and that’s no exaggeration. The Eagles currently have the potential to negotiate with a solid Quarterback who showed increasing levels of consistency as the season went on..neglecting that in an attempt to trade for Nick Foles who was the worst Quarterback in the NFL this year is just crazy talk.

3) Then and now
Nick Foles had a fantastic season with the Eagles in 2013 and regardless of what’s happened since, you can’t deny that a season in which the 27 year old put up 27 touchdowns and two interceptions is incredible. But you also can’t deny that there has been a significant decline. Foles threw for 200 yards just three times in eleven games and had more than one touchdown pass twice. Doug Pederson might have seen the potential in Nick Foles back in the 2012 NFL Draft..but he’s a different Quarterback now and has shown no signs of getting close to his 2013 form in either of his last two seasons, that would be something Pederson has to realise.

2) Don’t be fooled by a system
Chip Kelly has the ability to make Quarterbacks look a lot better than they might actually be. Kelly inherited the Eagles with Michael Vick at the helm and since worked with Nick Foles, Mark Sanchez and of course Sam Bradford. For the most part..all of these quarterbacks put up numbers that would deviate away from the trends they had encountered before playing with Chip (or the expectations for Foles).

There are exceptions, you have to take into account each situation individually, obviously Sanchez has proved that he is the league’s best backup whilst Bradford had no run game and 43 drops to deal with. But even in 2014 Nick Foles wasn’t anywhere near as inconsistent as he was a year later. He was worse, there is no doubt..and without Maclin or Jackson to throw to he had to hold onto the ball much longer than he would have liked which is where many of the panic reads and bad throws stemmed from.

But you can’t look at the 2013 season of Nick Foles and place all the praise on his shoulders. His form in St. Louis proves that and if Pederson is interested in the Foles he drafted or the Foles who played under Kelly, he would be interested in a contrasting Quarterback who is a shadow of what he was during that emphatic season and that’s largely down to the system he succeeded in and how it worked miracles for Foles.

1) The bigger picture
From a financial standpoint, it just wouldn’t make sense. The amount of dead money in salary would be ridiculous. It’s Pederson’s first season in charge as a Head Coach and taking such a blind leap of faith would leave an extremely sour taste in the mouths of many both on and off the team. It would render last season absolutely useless as the Eagles trade away a Quarterback to “rent” Sam Bradford for a season before bringing Nick Foles back a year after a tragic campaign in St. Louis which would cost even more money, see Bradford walk into Free Agency and see the Eagles effectively waste a 2nd round pick for a season that balances out at “good” Quarterback play.

So far, the moves made have been very positive..this would shatter the glass in an instant. From a productivity stand point, a visionary standpoint of where the team want to be and how to get there, a financial standpoint and a reputation standpoint..this move is absolutely crazy. Reports have began to surface discrediting Schefter’s claims..but if they do have any substance or not remains to be seen. However what we do know is even if they are true, the likelihood of such a trade happening is minimal.

 

Photo credit: Tom Gannam/AP