Last offseason, Nick Foles considered several opportunities before ultimately joining the Eagles. This included a chance to sign with the Buccaneers, where head coach Dirk Koetter was heavily pursuing him. During an appearance on SiriusXM Radio, the quarterback discussed his decision to join Philly.
“Initially we were trying to stay (in Kansas City),” said Foles (via Ed Kracz of TheEaglesWire.com). “We loved Kansas City. I never thought I’d handle being a backup because I always like being on the field, but my heart had changed. Those were my favorite years of football being in Kansas City. We loved being there, loved the barbecue, loved my teammates. We tried to work it out but couldn’t.
“We were trying to figure out what was best for our family. My wife at the time was really pregnant. That comes into account. Do you want to move somewhere where you know no one or go to a city you were traded from but know so many people and wonderful people? That was a tough decision for me.”
Well, we all know how that ended up. Foles joined the Eagles and was forced into the starting lineup following a season-ending injury to Carson Wentz. The 29-year-old ended up starting all three of the Eagles’ playoff games en route to a championship and a Super Bowl MVP.
Let’s take a look at some other notes from around the NFL…
- Meanwhile, during an appearance on FS1, Foles discussed his backup role and his revised contract with the Eagles. “I would love the opportunity to lead a team,” Foles said (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). “Now, let me also say this, I’m not just going to go to a team and say, ‘Hey, I want to lead this team,’ and not see where they are. It’s about an environment. . . . So if that does come to be, I want to find the right [place], be with the right team, a team like the Philadelphia Eagles organization…They had me under contract this year. Everyone wanted to know where I was going to be. I’m grateful to be a part of it. They restructured my deal. They wanted me there. I wanted to be there this year. We’ll see what happens after the season, but I’m excited about this 2018 Eagles season. I get to wear that jersey at least one more year, and I’m super excited about wearing it one more year.” Back in April, Foles and the Eagles agreed to a reworked deal that included a mutual option for 2019.
- Former NFL agent Joel Corry says Danielle Hunter‘s new deal shouldn’t define the market for Seahawks defensive end Frank Clark (Twitter link). The 2015 second-round pick had spent his entire three-year career in Seattle, and he finished the 2017 campaign with 32 tackles, nine sacks, and two forced fumbles in 16 games (12 starts). The 25-year-old will earn $943K in 2018 before hitting free agency next summer. The anticipated franchise tag for his position is expected to be around $17.5MM, according to Corry.
- Earlier today, Hunter signed a five-year, $72MM extension with the Vikings. We’ve listed reactions to the new deal, we’ve heard from general manager Rick Spielman, and we’ve explored why linebacker Anthony Barr could be next in line for an extension.