John DeFilippo has re-emerged in Jacksonville. Which obviously means that Jacksonville could emerge as a contender for Eagles quarterback Nick Foles.
DeFilippo, the quarterbacks coach during the Super Bowl run that saw Foles become the MVP of the league’s championship game, knows Foles well, and has had success with him. With Blake Bortles clearly on the outs, the Jags will be looking -- and DeFilippo will surely be lobbying for Foles.
For a team that has the talent to contend, a quarterback like Foles could be the answer, especially in light of his views on the importance of relationships and teamwork. The question becomes whether the Jaguars can finagle Foles’ rights, whether it happens through the free agency process or by a trade with the Eagles.
If it’s the latter, the Eagles surely would be happy to comply. They’d love to steer Foles out of the division (the Giants and Washington may be interested), and they won’t see the Jaguars in a regular-season setting until 2022. Whether it’s Jacksonville, Miami, Cincinnati, Denver, or someone else in the AFC, the Eagles would like nothing more than the ensure that Foles won’t resurface in the NFC East.
Maybe that’s where the compromise could happen. Even though it would be an unenforceable side agreement that could get the Eagles in trouble (if anyone were to blab about it), the Eagles and Foles could agree on a wink-nod basis to let Foles walk away as a free agent if he makes it clear that he won’t roll in either direction on I-95 but instead head to a team with which the Eagles doesn’t directly compete.