NFL Rumors: Nick Foles To The New York Giants? Eagles QB Could Stay In NFC East

Last week, the Denver Broncos got the NFL offseason rolling by agreeing to a trade in principle for Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco. While either team could theoretically back out in the next month before the league year starts, it seems like the market for Philadelphia Eagles QB Nick Foles will be even more competitive now.

The only problem is nobody knows yet whether Foles will be a free agent or a trade target. While the latter seems more likely, there is reportedly one team Foles would prefer if he became a free agent: The New York Giants.

Sources told NJ.com that Foles would be interested in the Giants if the Eagles cut him loose and the Giants decided to move on from Eli Manning.

That said, those are two big ifs. The Eagles recently exercised a $20 million player option on the QB’s contract, but he is reportedly eager to pay $2 to essentially buy his freedom. If he does that, the Eagles are expected to use the franchise tag on Foles and trade him before he hits the open market.

Even if the Eagles decide to let Foles walk free, there is no guarantee the Giants would get rid of Manning in favor of Foles. Manning recovered from a disastrous start to play like a competent starting QB in the second half of the Giants’ 5-11 season.

In the first eight games of 2018, Manning’s passer rating eclipsed 100 just twice. In the last eight games, he had four games with a passer rating above 100. He finished the year completing 66 percent of his passes for 4,299 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Simply put, it is not certain that Foles, who has never started 16 games in a season, would be a clear upgrade over Manning at the price he might command. The Giants could use the sixth overall pick on a quarterback like Dwayne Haskins and let him sit behind Manning for a year before sending their longtime starter off.

ESPN’s Jordan Raanan said the Giants are probably leaning towards keeping Manning for another year on Friday.

If the expected happens and the Eagles franchise tag Foles, expect the Jacksonville Jaguars to come up in trade talks. Rumors have linked Foles to the Jaguars for weeks, as Jacksonville looks to move on from Blake Bortles and get back into playoff contention.