JACKSONVILLE – Nick Foles has agreed to join the Jaguars.
Foles, the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl LII following the 2017 season while quarterbacking the Philadelphia Eagles, has agreed to terms to sign with the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent.
The Jaguars released the news Wednesday at 4 p.m. – the start of the 2019 NFL League Year and the opening of the NFL’s free-agency period.
Foles (6-feet-6, 243 pounds), 30, reportedly signed a four-year contract with the Jaguars worth $88 million that could potentially pay him $102 million. The deal according to reports includes $50.1 million in guarantees.
Foles, an eight-year NFL veteran, served officially as the Eagles’ backup to starter Carson Wentz the past two seasons – but he played extensively when Wentz was injured and earned a reputation as a clutch late-season and postseason performer.
He started 13 games during that span with a 10-3 record, and the Eagles’ postseason record during that span with Foles starting all five games was 4-1. Foles’ record as a starter in December, January and February the past two seasons was 9-2.
Foles completed 77 of 106 passes for 971 yards and six touchdowns with one interception during the Eagles’ postseason run following the 2017 regular season. He threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns with an interception in his MVP performance in the Eagles’ 41-33 Super Bowl LII victory over New England.
Foles started five regular-season games in place of Wentz this past season and two in the postseason. He went 4-1 in the regular season with seven touchdowns and four interceptions before going 1-1 in the postseason with three touchdowns and four interceptions.
Foles, originally a third-round selection by the Eagles in the 2012 NFL Draft from the University of Arizona, has started 44 regular-season games in seven NFL seasons with 68 touchdown passes and 33 interceptions. He threw 27 touchdowns and two interceptions in 10 starts in 2013, making the Pro Bowl following the season, but threw 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in eight starts the following season. The Eagles traded him to the St. Louis Rams in the 2015 offseason as part of a deal involving quarterback Sam Bradford.
Foles threw seven touchdowns with 10 interceptions in 2015. He requested his release from the Rams when they selected Jared Goff No. 1 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. He was granted the release and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he spent 2016 as a backup before re-joining the Eagles to back-up Wentz.
Blake Bortles, the Jaguars’ starting quarterback from Week 4 of his 2014 rookie season through Week 12 of the 2018 season, remains on the Jaguars’ roster. Other quarterbacks on the roster include Cody Kessler, who started Weeks 12-16 for the Jaguars this past season; Tanner Lee, a sixth-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft from Nebraska who spent 16 weeks on the Jaguars’ practice squad before being inactive on the 53-man roster for Week 17; and Alex McGough, a seventh-round ‘18 draft selection by the Seattle Seahawks who spent the 2018 season on the Seahawks’ practice squad.
Bortles reportedly could be released upon Foles’ official signing Thursday, and there have been reports that teams have inquired about trading for Bortles.
John Oehser
SENIOR WRITER
