It is not a question on if the Eagles are going to try to trade Nick Foles. It is a question of whether they will be able to.
Doing so will require some cooperation from Foles, as he would need to accept the $20 million option he has with the team in 2019. Or, if the Eagles really wanted, they could franchise tag Foles, stealing his free agency away from him and owning his rights to trade to whoever they want.
The issue with that? Foles has to like where he is going in that instance, as he could make it very clear to that team he doesn't want to be there. That is why Foles' opinion and cooperation, in almost any circumstance, matters.
Which is why the Jacksonville Jaguars' latest hiring should be eye-opening to the Eagles.
The Jaguars hired former Eagles quarterback coach John DeFilippo on Wednesday as their new offensive coordinator. The move could make what was already a potentially attractive destination to Foles a more appealing one, considering the success Foles had with DeFilippo in 2017.
The question is, if Foles wants to go to Jacksonville, could the Eagles swing a deal with the Jaguars? And if so, for who?
The obvious names on the top of every fan's tongue will be cornerback Jalen Ramsey or running back Leonard Fournette.
First, let's see if the Jaguars could even afford to take on Foles. The Jaguars are currently projected to be $2 million over the salary cap, but in an excellent article on SB Nation, it is explained that will likely end up with as much as $38.5 million by the time they release players they no longer need. That is plenty of room to bring in Foles, either on the franchise tag or on a long-term deal.
Moving on from Ramsey, while acquiring Foles, would be an odd move by the Jaguars. It would mean they were trying to win now with Foles, but also trading arguably their best player. Financially the deal would be an easy one to make, as Ramsey has a base salary of just $3.6 million in 2019, which would easily fit under the Eagles' salary cap if they moved on from Foles. The Eagles could try to persuade the Jaguars by throwing in draft picks — they have three in the first two rounds — but a Foles-for-Ramsey deal seems unlikely.
What could make sense if a deal where to take place is Fournette coming back to Philadelphia. Fournette has a base salary of just $2.9 million in 2019, and is under contract for just $4.1 million in 2020. He has clearly fallen out of favor with the team, and the Jaguars could look to trade him regardless of whether or not Foles is involved. Fournette was not good last season, playing unjust eight games and averaging 3.3 yards per carry.
That being said, he was much better in 2017, finishing with 1,040 yards in 13 games with nine touchdowns and a 3.9 yards-per-carry average. Taking into account the Eagles need at running back, and considering the fact they likely won't be getting much back for Foles with how hard it would be to trade for him, a deal where they sent Foles to Jacksonville for Fournette might make some sense for both sides. It gives the Jaguars an excuse to move on from Fournette, and it gives the Eagles a low-risk, high-reward player essentially for free at a position of need.
Trading Foles is going to be tough to do, but if the Eagles do pull it off, Jacksonville should be viewed as a likely trade partner.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
