The Eagles are reportedly going to try to trade quarterback Nick Foles this offseason, even placing the franchise tag on him if needed to do so.
If they do, the next step will be finding a team willing to trade for him.
A team that very well could show interest? The Oakland Raiders.
In a piece for Bleacher Report back in January, NFL reporter Mike Freeman wrote that after speaking with scouts around the league, there will likely be plenty of interest in Foles this offseason—and even mentioned a possible landing spot for the Super Bowl MVP.
Freeman writes:
"There are a lot of teams that will shoot their shot at Foles," one NFC West scout said, "and [should Philly keep him] will be willing to part with substantial draft picks to do it."
There is already rampant speculation about where Foles will end up. One scout believes Raiders coach Jon Gruden will use some of the booty from the Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper trades (two first-rounders for Mack and one for Cooper) to make the Eagles an offer they can't refuse."
The idea of the Raiders making a run at Foles is just speculation at this point, but it is interesting. The Raiders have quarterback Derek Carr currently on their roster, but could move on from him to save cap space. It is also fair to wonder if head coach Jon Gruden is truly committed to Carr as his franchise quarterback.
The Raiders have plenty of ammunition to make it happen, as they have three first-round picks and eight picks overall in the first five rounds.
Foles would seem to be a perfect fit for Gruden, as he is not a quarterback that likes to improvise, and would simply run Gruden's offense. Another link for Foles to the Raiders is new general manager Mike Mayock, who has been around the Eagles for years, calling their preseason games and spending plenty of time at their practices. The idea of moving Foles to the AFC would also likely be very appealing to the Eagles, as opposed to seeing him join an NFC team.
As for new Raiders GM Mike Mayock? Here is what he had to say about Foles in his days as an analyst.
"I would bang the table," said Mayock in 2014, "for Nick Foles as a franchise quarterback."
The tough part of trading Foles is going to be fitting him under the salary cap, as mentioned above. If the Eagles do indeed plan on franching Foles, however, that means they plan on carrying him into the new league year -- and plenty of players are going to be either released or take paycuts to make it happen.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
