It seems the Philadelphia Eagles have their starting quarterback for next season – you don’t just pay $10 million a season to Michael Vick to keep him in contention for the spot. But if Chip Kelly has made his decision regarding Vick, where does that leave Nick Foles?
Speculations around which direction Kelly might turn to ended the moment Vick signed a new contract worth $7.5 million as a base salary, before potential $2.5 million in bonuses for playing on 90% of the team’s snaps next season and reaching the Super Bowl on separate clauses. Now that we see Kelly is actually going for a running quarterback, this makes Foles’ place even less solid after not really impressing during his six games as a starter last season.
Foles completed 60.8% of his passes, throwing for 1699 yards, 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in the six and a half games he played on, with a 1-5 starting record. Obviously, he’s a work in progress entering his second NFL season, but knowing what Kelly demands of his quarterbacks – running, running and running in his option offense, Foles just doesn’t fit the scheme.
Foles isn’t going to land them first round picks or something similar, but by giving up on Foles it opens up spaces for more quarterbacks in the mold that Kelly wants – guys who make quick decisions, and now how to run around the edges. There are plenty of teams who might be looking for a backup quarterback with at least some NFL experience, or some teams still undecided on one, without too much to pick from in the draft or free agency.
Still, this helps the Eagles, who some have linked with Dennis Dixon, who played under Kelly at Oregon when Kelly was an offensive coordinator, looking like a Heisman candidate until an injury ruined his final season with the Ducks. Since then he’s been mostly used as a backup or on practice squads for the Steelers and Ravens. It also open up an opportunity for the Eagles to choose a quarterback in the draft, hoping they can get someone that fits the Kelly system after the first round.