NFL Rumors: Nick Foles Replaces Ryan Fitzpatrick If QB Continues To Hold Out
For Nick Foles and the Los Angeles Rams, the winds of change are most certainly in the air. But will that wind carry Foles to the New York Jets if they fail to reach a deal with Ryan Fitzpatrick?
As reported by the NFL, Nick Foles is sitting out voluntary OTAs, and like the Eagles Sam Bradford, it’s because the Rams traded up to draft a quarterback with the No. 1 pick.
“I’ve had conversations with Nick and we’re on the same page,” Fisher said. “And we’re trying to work things out. We’re in the process of sorting things out with Nick. It has nothing to do with him not wanting to come in and compete at all. He’s very, very competitive. We appreciate everything he did for us and his leadership (and) his teammates miss him.”
The Rams traded a ton of future draft picks to select Jared Goff as the number one overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. As reported by Fox Sports, that decision was directly responsible for Foles’ absence from the team.
“I think Nick has the feeling that if things stay the same he’s probably not going to be on the roster. But beyond that it was more of a mutual thing, not that we said don’t come. It was just, ‘Hey coach I’d just rather stay away until we get things worked out.’ And I said I’m fine with that.”
And with that, ESPN‘s Rich Cimini suspects that Foles could enter the equation with the New York Jets upon release.
“The Nick Foles situation in Los Angeles bears watching. If the Rams release Foles, as many expect, he’d jump to the top of the list of free-agent quarterbacks, which is a rather lean list right now. If the Jets see Foles as a last-chance option for an experienced quarterback — Geno Smith insurance, if you will — it could prompt them to force the issue with Fitzpatrick.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick and the New York Jets have been embroiled in a bitter contract standoff that has turned seemingly ugly as of late. Fitzpatrick is seeking the kind of money doled out to Foles’ successor in Philadelphia, Sam Bradford, or the Houston Texans’ Brock Osweiler. The Jets, meanwhile, don’t think Fitzpatrick is worth the money, as reported by Inquisitr.
Still, the feeling in the organization is that Ryan Fitzpatrick will be a New York Jet when all is said and done. At the end of the day, there are no other suitors in the NFL besides the Jets that can offer Fitzpatrick a starting job and comparable salary. The Broncos inquired about Fitzpatrick’s services shortly after free agency hit March 9, but were also turned off by his demands.
And to be fair, Fitzpatrick did post career numbers that included breaking several Jets team records. He threw for almost 4,000 yards and 31 TDs. His teammates want him back, as evidenced by the recent protest wide receivers Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall recently staged, as reported by the New York Post.
But he, like Foles, has been a career journeyman with only one good year on his resume. Foles’ breakout season was under then coach Chip Kelly of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. Foles threw 27 TDs to only 2 INTs and lead the Eagles to a playoff berth before getting hurt the following season.
It bears watching if Foles will possibly reunite with Kelly. As reported by SB Nation, Kelly admitted he didn’t want to include Nick in the trade that landed Bradford to the Eagles. With the Colin Kaepernick situation still up-in-the-air, a Nick Foles to San Francisco rumor could start taking shape.
[Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images]