The Eagles didn't find a suitable trade offer that would give Nick Foles a chance to start next season, so they gave their Super Bowl hero a consolation prize on Friday: more money.
According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport, the Eagles reworked Foles' contract to include a $2 million signing bonus, millions more in incentives that he can hit if he's forced to fill in for starter Carson Wentz, and a mutual option for the 2019 season. Garafolo added that they reworked his contract to reward him for his services last season.
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Foles, who considered retiring from football before landing in Philadelphia, was thrust into action when Wentz went down in December with a torn ACL. At the time, the Eagles were the NFC's best team and Wentz was Tom Brady's biggest challenger in the MVP race. Foles ended up piecing together a mediocre stat line in the regular season (79.5 passer rating), but it was still enough to secure the top seed in the NFC. He proceeded to explode in the playoffs (115.7 passer rating), eventually winning Super Bowl MVP honors after he led the Eagles to a win over the Patriots.
It was enough for him to generate interest as a potential bridge quarterback. But the asking price appeared to be too high (two first-round picks, according to Peter King of The MMQB). In March, Eagles coach Doug Pederson told NFL Network's Steve Wyche that they just never got a crazy enough offer to justify trading Foles.
"We did not," Pederson said. "Nothing too crazy. It had to be the right deal for us to do that. But there wasn't anything coming down our way for Nick."
Keeping Foles is probably the smart move considering Wentz tore his ACL in December and isn't a lock to be ready for Week 1. With Foles on their roster as the perfect backup, the Eagles could decide to be extra cautious with Wentz, especially considering Wentz's game is built around his athleticism. Wentz said earlier this week that he's still shooting for a Week 1 return, but also refused to get into the specifics of his recovery.
On Thursday night, the NFL released the entire regular season schedule, so we now know that the Eagles will begin the season against the Falcons, Buccaneers, Colts, and Titans. That'd be a survivable stretch with Foles at the helm, assuming he can recreate some of the magic that made him one of the most unlikely Super Bowl MVPs.
