There is certainly an undeniable emotional aspect when it comes to the Eagles and Nick Foles. A Super Bowl MVP and some of the biggest wins in franchise history will do that.
Putting the emotions aside, however, there is also this undeniable reality the team will have to face this offseason.
They need Foles on the roster in 2019.
To be clear, Eagles' need for Foles on their roster in 2019 does not mean he should be the starter, but it does have everything to do with the player that they will likely make their starter, Carson Wentz.
Wentz's ceiling, whether he will be a franchise quarterback, whether Foles deserves the job over him— that can all be debated another day. What is not up for debate is that Wentz has ended the last two seasons on the bench due to a serious injury.
In 2017, it was a torn ACL. In 2018, it was a bad back. Outside of an injury to his throwing shoulder, it is hard to think of two worse injuries for a quarterback to suffer in back-to-back years. The chances of Wentz missing time in 2019, even if he plays at an elite level when he is on the field, are high.
Wentz's injury history makes it critical that the Eagles have an elite backup at quarterback. The Eagles have holes on their roster, but they are still a team that should be competing for a Super Bowl in 2019. The last two seasons, those dreams of a Super Bowl were kept alive by Foles when Wentz went down.
As much potential as Nate Sudfeld has, there is no denying that Foles is a far better option as the backup quarterback. It is also going to be nearly impossible for the Eagles to find another Foles on the open market, when you take into account the high level of play they have gotten from him over the last two seasons, his knowledge of the playbook and his relationship with both his teammates and head coach Doug Pederson.
There is no getting around the fact that the drop-off from Foles to whoever the Eagles backup is next season is going to be extremely steep, which is why the team should be willing to pay a premium to bring him back.
If Foles and the Eagles agree to the mutual option in 2019, which would pay Foles $20.6 million, the team would have $29 million committed to their quarterback position. That sounds like a lot, but according to Spotrac.com, that would be fifth-most in the NFL next season. The Eagles certainly wouldn't be getting a bargain in Foles, and they would be paying a premium at the position, but they would also enter 2019 with a much better quarterback situation than they would have without him.
In a world where Foles didn't accept the mutual option, the Eagles could franchise tag him, which would increase his cap hit from $20 million to around $23-25 million. That would be a significant jump, but that is also worse case scenario. If the Eagles did bring Foles back at $25 million, they would have around $34 million committed to the quarterback position in 2019, tying them with the New Orleans Saints for tops in the NFL. Again, a premium, but not unheard of and not significantly more than other teams in the NFL.
By bringing Foles back, and spending around $30 million at the quarterback position, the Eagles would essentially be deciding to give Foles elite backup quarterback money for one more season before giving elite starter money to Wentz. As of right now, unless Wentz is willing to take an extremely team-friendly deal, committing the big money to Foles in 2019 makes more sense than giving it to Wentz. There is also this harsh fact -- Wentz has not yet earned the mega-deal many expected him to get this offseason.
The tricky part of keeping Foles would be finding other money to fix the roster. The Eagles are currently projected to be around $12 million over the salary cap this offseason. That is with Foles at $20 million. They should be able to open up an extra $15 million by moving on from certain players they likely would anyway, but there is no denying Howie Roseman would have his work cut out for him financially if they keep Foles.
As for the locker room dynamics of having both Wentz and Foles, the reality is this — in 2018, when Wentz was the starter, nobody called for Foles to start even when Wentz was struggling. Foles was mostly a forgotten man. It wasn't until Wentz went down, and Foles saved the season, that the controversy began. Maybe that would happen again in 2019, but that will only be an issue if Wentz is struggling.
If Wentz plays next season like he did in 2017, nobody will call for Foles.
If Wentz plays next season like he did in 2018, the team will be happy they have Foles for the fans to call for.
It is an expensive decision to make, but as the Eagles attack this offseason, they should do so with the plan of making every effort to convince Foles to come back in 2019.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
