Nick Foles was recently released by the Chicago Bears, leaving the Minnesota Vikings with an intriguing option for quarterback depth.
The Minnesota Vikings, and fans alike, know the name Nick Foles all too well. The former Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks played a large part in dismantling the hopes of the Vikings hosting a home Super Bowl, when Foles and the Eagles defeated the Vikings in the 2017 NFC Championship. The final score of 38-7 is still a jab to the Twin Cities and it came largely off the show Foles put on in the City of Brotherly Love that night.
After beating Minnesota, Foles and Philadelphia went on to win Super Bowl 52 over the New England Patriots, and the quarterback was named the MVP of the game. From there, he found himself back to his norm of a journeyman role in the NFL, as he’s spent the last four seasons as a member of the Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Chicago Bears.
Never being able to recapture the magic he made in Philadelphia in 2017, he found himself injured in Jacksonville and Chicago, leaving the organizations to turn to younger options at quarterback in Gardner Minshew and Justin Fields.
Nick Foles is a free agent again and the Minnesota Vikings could reap benefits if they choose to pursue him
With Foles being released by the Bears on Sunday, he now has the option to pursue any team that has an interest in him. In regards to the Vikings, they could find more benefits in signing Foles than not.
For starters, he would serve as an upgrade over Minnesota’s current backup quarterback, Sean Mannion, whose recent outings with the Vikings have been less than impressive.
Additionally, Foles is one of the safest backups an organization could have. He’s a guy you can win with for several games, but not so much an entire season.
Foles could also serve as a mentor to Minnesota quarterback Kellen Mond, whose future with the team is still a large question mark. A traditional pocket passer, Foles could help refine Mond’s passing skills, which would allow the young signal-caller to lean less on his mobile abilities.
Foles wouldn’t serve as a threat to Kirk Cousins, nor would be a candidate as the Vikings quarterback of the future since the former Arizona Wildcats passer is only a year younger than Cousins.
The possibility to upgrade at the backup quarterback position and the chance to help a sophomore passer that never got a fair shot seems like an “if you can’t beat him, sign him” opportunity Minnesota should consider this offseason.