NFL Trade Rumors: Eagles' Foles Out Of Philly? Bears' Cutler On The Block?
Despite missing half of the regular season and losing his starting job, several NFL teams are reportedly interested in trading for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles.
According to NJ.com, the Eagles are unsure about Foles’s future with the team and the St. Louis Rams, Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans would be intrigued in a move for the 26-year-old.
A broken collarbone sidelined Foles for the last two months of the regular season, and Philadelphia went with veteran Mark Sanchez for the final stretch and barely missed the postseason. Sanchez will be a free agent in the offseason, leaving the Eagles with very little depth at the position after Foles with only second-year quarterback Matt Barkley on the current roster.
The Rams have Sam Bradford at quarterback, but he’s scheduled to make $13 million next season and the team is likely to cut him unless he takes a significant pay cut. Bradford’s career has been plagued by injuries and poor play since St. Louis selected him with the No. 1 pick in 2010.
Tennessee thought it had a franchise quarterback in Jake Locker, but like Bradford, he’s struggled with injuries early in his career and has made little impact on the field.
With one of the best defenses in the NFL, the Texans nearly made the postseason but the offense was strained at times under quarterbacks Ryan Fitzpatrick and Case Keenum.
Foles would be an experienced presence on all three teams next season, rather than a possible rookie in what is considered a rather weak NFL draft class. In 2013, Foles was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league, completing 64 percent of his attempts for 2,891 yards and 27 touchdowns to two interceptions in 13 games.
Earlier this month NJ.com also reported that Philadelphia would “try” to move up in the upcoming draft to select Heisman Trophy-winner and Oregon stud quarterback Marcus Mariota. Formerly the head coach of the Ducks, Chip Kelly recruited and coached Mariota before he signed on with the Eagles in 2013.
Philadelphia currently has the No. 20 pick in the draft, and would likely need to acquire a top five pick in order to safely secure Mariota with several teams seeking a new franchise quarterback. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the No. 1 pick, and Tennessee is up next at No. 2, and it’s believed the Bucs currently favor Florida State’s Jameis Winston over Mariota.
The Chicago Bears' Jay Cutler was another quarterback tied to trade speculation after the regular season ended, however it appears the Bears will hold on to the talented but mistake-prone passer. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport told CSN Chicago that the Bears’ newly revamped coaching staff of John Fox and offensive coordinator Adam Gase likely means the Bears will stick with Cutler for now.
The Titans were "doing their homework" on Cutler in December, according to Rapoport, implying that the club might be interested in acquiring Cutler through a trade or if he was waived.
Cutler’s contract, a seven-year, $126.7 million deal, would make him very difficult to move. The Bears suffered their worst season in 10 years in 2014 and a change at quarterback became a growing possibility after his benching before Week 16. The 31-year-old finished with an 88.6 passer rating, which ranked 17th in the NFL.
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