NFL Rumors: Do The Eagles Want To Trade Nick Foles To Jaguars?

With the 2018 NFL season officially in the books, it is time for the rumor mill to spin up regarding big-name free agents and trade targets. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles is near the top of the list, with several teams needing quality quarterback play to contend in 2019 and beyond.

Reports over Super Bowl weekend indicated the Eagles intend to franchise tag Foles, who is set to become a free agent this offseason otherwise. That would give them the ability to pick his destination and potentially get more in return for him than they would if he left on his own.

ESPN NFL insiders Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen addressed the Foles situation on “ESPN Postseason NFL Countdown” on Sunday. The discussion, which was transcribed by Bleeding Green Nation, suggested the Eagles would like to send Foles to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Mortensen noted that the Jaguars recently hired former Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo as their offensive coordinator, giving them a solid connection to Foles. More importantly, trading Foles to Jacksonville would keep him out of the Eagles’ division and conference entirely.

“But Foles knows, and his representatives, that this is a business. He’s not going to play nice nice with the Eagles,” Mortensen said. “They don’t want him to go to the Giants or the Redskins — although it was noted to me they let Donovan McNabb go to the Redskins one time and that didn’t hurt them — so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.”

Washington has been suggested as a destination for Foles because Alex Smith might not play in 2019 or ever again. Behind Smith is journeyman Colt McCoy and potentially Josh Johnson, who the team hopes to re-sign soon. Neither of them would be ideal for head coach Jay Gruden, who could be coaching for his job in 2019.

The Jaguars are a season removed from an appearance in the AFC Championship Game and the nucleus of that roster is still there. Foles would be an improvement over incumbent starters Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler.