What happened to Nick Foles? How Eagles' Super Bowl 52 folk hero has bounced around NFL since 2018

Joe Rivera

What happened to Nick Foles? How Eagles' Super Bowl 52 folk hero has bounced around NFL since 2018 image

True to the "Saint Nick" moniker, Nick Foles gave Eagles fans a gift, and vanished into the beyond.

The Eagles owe a lot to Foles for going on an insane run to lead Philadelphia to their first Super Bowl win in 2018, knocking off the Patriots and capping off one of the most surprising, epic runs for a QB in NFL history.

The Cinderella glass slipper, though, fell off for Foles, and not only did it fall off, but it shattered. The passer was never quite able to recapture the magic from Super Bowl run, with his career spiraling after leaving Philadelphia.

Maybe it was Doug Pederson's offense. Maybe it was the comfort of playing in Philly. Maybe it was the cheesesteaks. Whatever the case was, Foles outside of Philly just wasn't the same superhero that he was when he pushed the Eagles to their first Lombardi trophy.

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This is what happened after Foles' exit in Philadelphia:

What happened to Nick Foles?

Nick Foles is currently a backup QB with the Indianapolis Colts. He signed a two-year deal with Indy in May 2022, potentially keeping him in blue and white for the 2023 season.

Before that, though, Foles spent time with the Jaguars and Bears. He played one more season with the Eagles in 2018, before hitting the free agent market. 

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Nick Foles career timeline

2012: In the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Nick Foles is selected by the Eagles. He would start six games for the Eagles, replacing an injured Michael Vick, showing promise for Andy Reid's squad. Foles would break his hand in the final game of the season and land on injured reserve. In all, Foles started six games, throwing for 1,699 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions as a rookie.

2013: In the first year of the Chip Kelly era, Foles entered the season in a quarterback competition with Michael Vick. While Vick would win the job outright, Foles would see plenty of time, playing in 13 games and starting 10. Foles played extremely well: He threw 27 touchdowns to just two interceptions, going 8-2 in his starts. His success under Kelly earned him a Pro Bowl nod.

2014: A broken collarbone prematurely ended Foles' season, leading the way for Mark Sanchez. He couldn't quite recapture the success of his 2013 season, throwing 13 touchdowns to 10 interceptions across eight games. It would be the last season he played in Philadelphia — for now.

MORE: Why did Andy Reid leave the Eagles?

2015: A change of scenery usually works for some players, but apparently not for Foles. The quarterback was traded to the Rams for Sam Bradford and a fifth-round pick in early 2015, giving Jeff Fisher a new quarterback. Foles, though, was nothing short of disastrous with St. Louis: He threw seven touchdowns to 10 interceptions in his lone season with St. Louis, and was replaced by No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff. That led to his request to be released, which led to a new team — and a familiar face.

2016: Foles considered calling it a career, until he got a call from Andy Reid and the Chiefs. Foles signed a one-year deal with an option for a second year, and would make a couple of spot appearances for the Chiefs. KC would decline Foles' second year, leading to another free agency of uncertainty, that ultimately resulted in a reunion.

2017: Maybe he missed the cheesesteaks. Foles returned to Philadelphia in 2017, backing up Carson Wentz. But as was the case throughout his career, injury thrust him into the spotlight. With Wentz going down with an injury, Foles went on the run of a lifetime: He starts the final four games of the season, throwing five touchdowns to two interceptions, and then secure wins over the Falcons and the Vikings en route to Super Bowl 52. Foles would finish the job in Super Bowl 52: In the Eagles' win over the Patriots, Foles threw for 373 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in the win, shocking the NFL world (and getting himself a statue in the process).

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2018: With Carson Wentz returning from the injury, Foles is regulated to the bench once again, but he did bookend the season with starts. He started the first two games of 2018 while Wentz rehabbed, and the final three games while the starter dealt with an injured back. 

2019: Foles parlayed his career resurgence into another payday, this time with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Foles signed a four-year, $88 million deal with the Jags, with $50 million guaranteed and worth up to $102 million total. The Jaguars probably wish they kept the receipt: Foles would get hurt early in the year and later lose the starting job to Gardner Minshew. The Jags were winless in Foles' four starts. It would be the only season that he would play in Jacksonville.

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2020: After the ill-fated Jaguars tenure ended, Foles found himself in another new uniform. The Jaguars would move on from Foles, trading him to the Bears for a conditional fourth-round pick. He would lose the starting job to Mitchell Trubisky out of camp, but would get the job back after Trubisky was benched. 

2021: Still with the Bears in 2021, Foles would be the third-string quarterback, seated behind first-round pick Justin Fields and Andy Dalton. Dalton would begin the season as a starter, while Fields would take the reins later on. Foles would get a start late in the season with injuries to both passers in front of him.

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2022: After his release from the Bears, Foles would sign a two-year deal with the Colts, spending the majority season on the bench behind Matt Ryan and Sam Ehlinger. He would get starts in Week 16 and Week 17, his only action with the Colts. 

Well, hey, if he needs to reinvigorate his career again, maybe the Eagles will come calling.

Nick Foles career stats

YEAR

TEAM

G

ATT

COMP

PCT

YDS

TD

INT

RATE

2022

Indianapolis Colts

3

42

25

59.5

224

0

4

34.3

2021

Chicago Bears

1

35

24

68.6

250

1

0

98.5

2020

Chicago Bears

9

312

202

64.7

1852

10

8

80.8

2018

Philadelphia Eagles

5

195

141

72.3

1413

7

4

96

2017

Philadelphia Eagles

7

101

57

56.4

537

5

2

79.5

2016

Kansas City Chiefs

3

55

36

65.4

410

3

0

105.9

2015

Los Angeles Rams

11

337

190

56.4

2052

7

10

69

2014

Philadelphia Eagles

8

311

186

59.8

2163

13

10

81.4

2013

Philadelphia Eagles

13

317

203

64

2891

27

2

119.2

2012

Philadelphia Eagles

7

265

161

60.8

1699

6

5

79.1

Joe Rivera