Upon his arrival in Philadelphia, quarterback Sam Bradford said he had known for weeks he was on the trade block.
The guy who went to St. Louis in exchange for him did not have that luxury.
Rams quarterback Nick Foles said he was given no advance notice of the deal that sent him west, finding out when his phone rang the day of.
“The second I got a phone call, and Chip Kelly told me I was traded. That was the first time,” Foles told Jenny Vrentas of Sports Illustrated.
Not long after that call, he was on the phone with Rams coach Jeff Fisher, General Manager Les Snead and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, who all told him how excited they were to have him.
“The biggest thing you deal with in that time period is a lot of emotions,” Foles said. “On one end, you’re cutting ties with the team you have been a part of since you were a rookie—and that’s all you knew, and your plan was to be back there. On the other end, there’s a great opportunity with a new team that wants you, a team that really wanted to get you. You deal with those emotions in the first 24 hours.”
Foles also disputed reports that he was “overjoyed” to leave Philadelphia.
“To clear that up, a reporter had texted my uncle, and what my uncle had said was, “Nick is really going to miss Philadelphia. He’s really going to miss his friends and family and the fanbase, but he is really excited about the opportunity he has in St. Louis,” Foles said. “That’s exactly what the text message says. Do you see anything in that text message that says I’m overjoyed? That’s not even a part of it. It got misconstrued. I never said that.
“I loved my time in Philadelphia. I loved the fanbase, the people, and they will tell you the same thing. I really enjoyed my three years there and am thankful for it. But I’m excited to be in St. Louis, and to be a part of this organization.”
Foles gives the Rams a quarterback who might not be as talented, but is certainly younger and cheaper and healthier. So they might be overjoyed, if he’s not.