On Monday, a report from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer suggested that the Chicago Bears would entertain offers for veteran quarterback Nick Foles. The former Super Bowl MVP has become an afterthought in the Windy City this offseason when the Bears traded up nine spots in the 2021 NFL Draft to select former Ohio State standout Justin Fields while also signing veteran Andy Dalton this offseason.
Trading Foles isn’t as simple as it seems. The phones may be ringing at Halas Hall and while general manager Ryan Pace may answer, the only voice that seems to truly matter is Foles, who wants a say in where he lands if traded. Breer’s report also states that the Foles will dictate where he lands.
One team that’s been mentioned, the Indianapolis Colts, who was Foles offensive coordinator with the Philadephia Eagles in 2017, consequently the year Foles was named Super Bowl MVP.
“Frank Reich is one of my favorite, if not my favorite, coaches of all time,” Foles said during training camp. “He understands me as a player. He understands me as a person. But you know, I haven’t had any talks with them. I’m a Chicago Bear right now. But he knows me, he understands.”
Foles strong endorsement of Reich makes the Colts an intriguing trade candidate. Dictating where the veteran lands is all about ensuring Foles lands in a situation that will set him up to succeed while giving him a chance to start and win consistently. Looking around the NFL, there aren’t many team’s who could be labeled as intriguing fits for Foles, especially with most teams having their week 1 starter in place.
Discussions to move Foles will need to happen quickly with the regular season approaching. One factor that continues to dictate Foles talks include his cap hit, which is slated to be $6.6M for the upcoming season, including $5M in guaranteed money for 2022, according to Over The Cap. Foles did admit that discussions to move him took place throughout the offseason but talks never got serious enough to strike a deal, which will likely require the Bears to rework Foles contract and eat up a part of his contract.