The Eagles need to decide what to do with quarterback Nick Foles, the unlikely MVP of Super Bowl LII. Whatever they choose, they have several options.
First, they can keep him around. He’s under contract at $7 million for 2018, $3 million of which comes in the form of a roster bonus. In the days preceding the Super Bowl, owner Jeffrey Lurie strong suggested that Foles would indeed remain part of the team, given the importance of having a solid backup to Carson Wentz.
Second, they can make it known that Foles is available in trade now, as teams figure out their plans for attempting to acquire quarterbacks when the new league year begins in March. That way, the teams jockeying for the likes of Kirk Cousins will have a viable alternative in the form of a guy who just beat the Falcons, Vikings, and Patriots in succession.
Third, the Eagles can wait until the sweet spot between free agency and the draft, when teams that maybe didn’t sign the player they wanted are considering the possibility of trading lottery tickets for certainty, opting to address the quarterback position with a sure thing in lieu of rolling the dice on that guy they may not get.
Fourth, the Eagles can wait until after the draft, when teams that didn’t get the quarterback they need consider their remaining options for staffing the most important position on the field.
Fifth, the Eagles can wait for another Teddy Bridgewater scenario, which can happen pretty much at any point before the trade deadline. Two years ago, Bridgewater’s late-August ACL tear created a sudden market for former starter Sam Bradford, allowing the Eagles to get value for the veteran and to bump then-rookie Wentz into the starting lineup.
If the Eagles ultimately trade Foles, they’ll need to have a competent backup plan for Wentz, whose playing style will subject him to more injuries. Given what the coaching staff did with Foles (and in light of the possibility that Wentz will be injured again), veteran quarterbacks who can’t find starting jobs would be flocking to Philadelphia for the chance to become the unlikely MVP of Super Bowl LIII.