The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Giants landing Foles is super complicated
Nick Foles already made sense as perhaps the Giants’ most coveted quarterback alternative to Eli Manning this offseason.
And Sunday’s 16-15 Eagles wild-card playoff win in Chicago only confirmed Foles’ value, particularly his sidearm, fourth-down, game-winning touchdown pass to Golden Tate around Bears pass rusher Leonard Floyd with the poise and athleticism of a Super Bowl LII MVP.
“What I learned on those stages is just how to calm myself in a chaotic moment when there’s stuff from the outside world, it’s a ton of pressure,” Foles said after his fourth straight win this season and fourth consecutive playoff win dating back to last year. “And just really simplifying it in my head, getting in the huddle and looking at the guys that I trust and know that it’s all on the line for us and we’re just going to get the job done.”
But Sunday also may have complicated any Giants pursuit of Foles, who turns 30 on Jan. 20, by 1) delaying the conclusion of Foles’ season and, therefore, any determination on his future; and 2) increasing his already sky-high marketability both in Philadelphia and the rest of the league.
Foles always was more likely to hit the open market this spring than remain an Eagle, because Philly would have to pick up a $20 million 2019 option to keep him, and even then Foles could buy his freedom by paying back his $2 million 2018 signing bonus for winning the Super Bowl.
The Eagles also have indicated they are commit-
ted to former No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz as their future quarterback.
However, Wentz’s major injuries in back-to-back years, and Foles’ impressive three-game December win streak to clinch a second straight Eagles playoff berth — plus Sunday’s victory, thanks also to Treyvon Hester’s blocked field goal — have intensified debate in Philly of whether letting Foles go is wise.
But more pertinent to the Giants’ plans is that it’s becoming more likely even if Foles does leave Philadelphia that it will happen via trade and not through free agency.
NFL Network reported Monday that Eagles executive VP of football operations Howie Roseman is going to try to trade Foles, with an increasingly competitive trade market developing for him.
And it’s possible Roseman could use the franchise tag on Foles to preserve control of him on a one-year, $25 million contract, either to retain him or to trade him, but either way to bypass the terms of Foles’ current contract that had appeared to guarantee a trip to free agency.
Signing Foles outright and trading for him are two completely different scenarios, as the cost no longer would be simply Foles’ salary but also whatever assets the Giants handed over in a deal.
The Eagles also turned down a second-round pick for Foles last offseason when Wentz’ health was up in the air. So ask the question: Would the Giants feel it was worth it to replace Manning ($23.2 million cap hit scheduled for 2019) by trading a second-round pick for Foles on a franchise tag and renegotiate him, say, to a twoyear, $40 million contract?
Pat Shurmur’s history as Foles’ offensive coordinator for his 27 touchdown-two interception 2013 season with Chip Kelly’s Eagles could make it worth it. The coach would want a QB who could assimilate into his offense quickly.
Shurmur found Foles in the hallway of Lincoln Financial Field last January after Foles’ Eagles had blown out Shurmur’s Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, 38-7, and embraced him.
“Hey,” Shurmur said. “I saw 27 and two. I knew you had it in you. Congratulations.”
The Eagles, though, may be reticent to trade Foles in division and haven’t traded with the Giants since April 26, 2009, when the Giants gave Philly a third- and fifth-round pick to move up in the third round and select wide receiver Ramses Barden.
Before that, their most recent trade had been April 18, 1998, when the Giants gave the Eagles a thirdround and fourth-round pick to move up in the third round and select wideout Brian Alford.
For the Giants, though, this would not be a desperate stab at a receiver prospect. It would be an upgrade at quarterback, where Manning once was the big-time playoff performer but now Foles holds the title. He even beat the same all-time great that Manning defeated twice at the sport’s summit: Tom Brady.
Foles isn’t a runner but he moves better inside the pocket than Manning to dodge pressure. He also stands in and takes hits to deliver the ball downfield, and he throws a better deep ball.
As pointed out by The Athletic, Foles has played three of the league’s top pass rushers the past four weeks, and the Rams’ Aaron Donald, the Texans’ J.J. Watt and the Bears’ Khalil Mack combined for three QB hits and zero sacks of Foles.
The Eagles’ offensive line is better than the Giants’, but even in last year’s NFC Championship Game, the Vikings’ and Eagles’ pass rushes both generated pressure, and the biggest difference between Foles and Minnesota QB Case Keenum was that Foles overcame the pressure and Keenum didn’t.
Foles certainly is prone to mistakes. His red-zone interception on Sunday night was a terrible decision. But as Pro Football Focus cited, Foles is considered PFF’s “unluckiest” quarterback of 2018, with six interceptions on just five turnover-worthy passes (120 percent).
Manning, on the other hand, is considered PFF’s second-“luckiest” QB, with 11 interceptions on a whopping 25 turnover-worthy passes (44 percent). The only QB luckier than Manning was Ravens rookie Lamar Jackson (40 percent, four picks on 10 bad throws).
Manning has played in one playoff game the last seven years. Foles in his last four playoff games these past two seasons has a 4-0 record with a 69.8 completion percentage, 1,237 passing yards, eight touchdown passes and four turnovers. And when the season is on the line, lately Foles has been the X-factor.
“You know you put it, quite frankly, in his hands to win,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said of Foles on Sunday.
And as Foles’ Eagles head to New Orleans to take on the NFC’s top-seeded Saints, it remains an open question if the Giants will put the ball in Foles’ hands for 2019 — and if they do, at what price.