The Chicago Bears released veteran quarterback Nick Foles — as he requested — on April 30 after struggling to find a trade partner. A few weeks later, it appears that Foles is on the verge of finding a new home.
Zac Keefer of The Athletic reports that the Indianapolis Colts are “working to add” Foles, and “there’s a chance [an agreement] come by next week.”
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo confirms the news, adding that “the expectation is [a deal will] get done early next week.”
As Keefer noted, the Colts signing Foles to be Matt Ryan‘s backup would make plenty of sense.
For one, the Colts’ current backup is Sam Ehlinger, who’s attempted a grand total of zero passes in the NFL and was a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Even if Indianapolis likes Ehlinger as a prospect, they may not like him enough to feel comfortable with him at quarterback in 2022 if Ryan — 37 years old — were to suffer an injury.
Additionally, the Colts’ head coach is Frank Reich, who was the offensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles when Foles was the Super Bowl LII MVP for the Eagles.
Foles and Reich have a great relationship in place, and Reich likely has trust in Foles to competently run the Indianapolis offense.
At the very least, Foles would provide competition for Ehlinger, and he’d give Ehlinger two wily veteran quarterbacks to learn from.
Foles, 33, completed 24-of-35 passes for one touchdown and no interceptions for the Bears in 2021. He served as the No. 3 quarterback behind Justin Fields and Andy Dalton.
After Foles’ success in Philadelphia, he signed a four-year, $88 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of the 2019 season. The Jaguars went 0–4 under Foles (who had an 84.6 passer rating) before he was benched for Gardner Minshew. The Bears then traded for Foles to be their starting quarterback in 2020, and he put together an 80.8 passer rating over seven games (Chicago went 2-5).
Here’s some reaction from Twitter to the Foles-Colts news:
Signing Nick Foles would be a solid move for a solid and proven veteran QB in the league. Add in the connection with Frank Reich, felt like the move was always more if a “when” than an “if.”
— Cody Felger (@CPFelger55) May 20, 2022
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.