The development in their quarterback situation is leaving the Los Angeles Rams with some surplus, and Nick Foles is probably the one who’ll pay the price.
Not that he’s not doing everything possible to get himself traded. He’s not showing up to the OTAs, which aren’t mandatory, but he’s clearly signaling to the Rams that he isn’t happy with them selecting a quarterback in the draft. Foles had a bad season in St. Louis with the Rams after being traded there from the Philadelphia Eagles for Sam Bradford. With Goff and Case Keenum, it won’t be surprising to see Foles becoming their third tier option in 2016.
Teams that are interested in Foles will be getting something of a bargain. Only 1.75 million of his base salary would count against the 2016 salary cap, and his $10.75 million salary in 2017 isn’t guaranteed. In 2017 his cap hit is $13.25 million, but cutting him saves teams $12.25 million, making him basically a one-year rental unless he does something unexpected in 2016.
Foles was a successful starter in Philadelphia under Chip Kelly, posting a 14-4 record as a starter, completing 61.9% of his throws, tossing 40 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. But he missed half of the 2014 season, and Kelly decided he wants something else. In the end, it didn’t work out for anyone involved in that trade: Bradford isn’t going to stay in Philadelphia beyond this season, Foles had a bad year in St. Louis and Kelly got fired by the Eagles.
In 2015, Foles started in 11 games, with the Rams going 4-7. He completed just 56.4% of his throws, throwing just 7 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. For a lot of players, this marks the end of their career. But Foles has shown he can do better than that, and for any team looking for a quality backup or some more competition in their quarterback preseason situation, Foles could be a pretty solid addition.
How much would the Rams ask for him? They’d probably look to recoup on what they gave up to move up in the draft and pick Goff, but Foles isn’t going to bring in too much of a haul. Either way, the Rams wouldn’t mind moving forward with Goff and Keenum competing for the starting spot (Goff might sit behind him in year 1), while Sean Mannion, a 2015 draft pick, fills the third-tier allocation.