NIck Foles will not be returning to the Eagles after declining his $20 million option for 2019. That officially makes him the top quarterback prize in this year's free-agent class.
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The Broncos, who once had significant interest, opted instead to trade for Joe Flacco as their veteran stopgap option. That still leaves several QB-deficient teams for which Foles will be a hot topic of discussion heading into free agency.
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Foles rumors are swirling around six teams most. Here's ranking Foles' chances of signing with each.
6. Oakland Raiders (5 percent)
First there is the matter of Oakland trading Derek Carr, because the Raiders will not spend big money on two veteran QBs. And while coach Jon Gruden might have more affinity for Foles as a passer and want to bring in his own guy, new general manager Mike Mayock is leaning toward sticking with Carr.
In order to make all the pieces work, the Raiders would need to believe Foles is a big upgrade over Carr. There's still a small chance Foles will play for Oakland, against which he threw seven touchdown passes in a game back in 2013.
5. Cincinnati Bengals (7 percent)
There is a long dot connection to make here. The Bengals' new coach, former Rams offensive coordinator Zac Taylor, is the brother of Eagles QB coach Press Taylor. From Foles' perspective, he also would inherit the keys to an offense rich in skill with A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon. But the Bengals would need to move on from Andy Dalton, who at 31 is only one year older than Foles and still has two years left on his contract.
This would be a bold move for a rookie coach, steering an organization that doesn't like to rock the boat toward a completely new shore. Signing Foles to replace Dalton is probably a smart move for Cincinnati to consider, but it's not happening.
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4. Washington Redskins (10 percent)
Before the Redskins can even think about going after Foles, given their limited cap space, they would need to cut Alex Smith and give up on his chances for a healthy return in the near future. As of now, that seems like something they are reluctant to do. Should the Redskins move on Smith, though, the conversation would then be more about whether they have anything special to offer Foles other than a starting gig.
Coach Jay Gruden and new offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell can keep Foles in a comfort zone with their West Coast scheme. The Redskins also have a good pass-protecting line when it's healthy. But their skill-player and defensive concerns are downsides, and even if they can get Smith's contract off the books, they likely will be too cap-strapped to give Foles his best offer.
3. New York Giants (18 percent)
The Giants parting with Eli Manning in 2019 is much more likely than the Raiders with Carr, the Bengals with Dalton or the Redskins with Smith. Coach Pat Shurmur thinks Manning can still be a good starter, but GM Dave Gettleman has stopped short of saying the team remains committed to the veteran QB.
Foles (30) is much younger than Manning (38). Shurmur has a direct connection with Foles, having coached him early in the QB's career while serving as Eagles offensive coordinator under coach Andy Reid. The idea of Foles throwing to Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram is appealing, too.
But the Giants might not be interested in overpaying for Foles' services, and they are positioned to instead draft a QB at No. 6 overall (Dwayne Haskins?) who can push for the job right away with Manning as a built-in fallback plan.
Foles should jump at the chance to sign should New York extend a reasonable offer in free agency, but this is more about whether the offer will come at all.
2. Miami Dolphins (25 percent)
The Dolphins are changing things up, turning from Adam Gase to new coach Brian Flores and offensive coordinator Chad O'Shea, both formerly with the Patriots. Without Gase, Ryan Tannehill likely will not continue as the team's starting QB. Flores and new GM Chris Grier want to bring a fresh attitude to the game's most important position as part of their rebuild.
Miami cutting Tannehill seems more probable than not, as the Dolphins are headed toward a scenario similar to what the Broncos just did in choosing to pay Flacco instead of (soon) continuing to pay Case Keenum. Foles is also younger than Tannehill (by a half-year) and has proved to have a higher ceiling while Tannehill has plateaued at mediocrity.
Foles would be the face of Miami's overhauled offense, not just a bridge QB. And with the No. 12 overall pick in the draft, the Dolphins are not guaranteed to land a rookie passer who would be a viable starter in the short term. As defensive coordinator in New England, Flores witnessed Foles' ability to carry a team with fearlessness like he did in Super Bowl 52. That's the kind of renewed veteran life Miami could use at QB while going after New England twice a season in the AFC East.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars (35 percent)
Even more obvious than the Dolphins' split with Tannehill is the impending divorce between the Jaguars and Blake Bortles. Of all the teams in the mix for Foles, the Jaguars are most capable of winning big now thanks to the defense and running game that made them a playoff power in 2017. Dropping the highly dependent Bortles for the high-reward Foles is Jacksonville's most direct path to getting back on track.
The Jaguars are the most cap-strapped team in the league, but by cutting Bortles and a few others, they would have the resources to give Foles a competitive long-term offer. Their offense is perfectly tailored to Foles with coordinator John DeFilippo, Foles' former QB coach in Philly. Dede Westbrook and D.J. Chark also are two young wide receivers who mesh with Foles' strengths as a downfield passer.
There's a good chance Foles will relocate to Florida to play for his fourth NFL team. It might come down to which team — the Dolphins or the Jaguars — is less interested in diving into QB draft class pool that features several unknown quantities beyond Haskins.
In that case, of these two teams, the one that doesn't go for Foles in March might be the favorite to draft Kyler Murray in April.
