Less than a quarter into his first season as a Jacksonville Jaguar, Nick Foles' day was done, and his status for the rest of the season is up in the air.
Foles suffered a broken left clavicle in his Jaguars debut, coach Doug Marrone told reporters after their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. There is no timetable for his return.
The Jaguars QB told reporters he will undergo surgery on Monday.
Foles lofted his first touchdown pass as a Jaguar to D.J. Chark in the first quarter and moments later was on the sideline in pain. He then headed to the locker room favoring his non-throwing arm and appeared on the sideline in a sling.
Upon leaving the game, Foles was 5-of-8 for 75 yards and the touchdown with a healthy 132.8 quarterback rating. Kansas City held a 17-7 lead at the time and eventually won, 40-26.
"It was unfortunate," Marrone said after the loss. "You'd really like to see how the game would've worked itself out with Nick."
Rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew out of Washington State filled in for the Jags. Minshew enjoyed a fine debut in Foles' absence, completing 22 of 25 passes for 275 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
"Gardner, I feel better about him now today after Week 1 than I did probably during the preseason," Marrone said. "I think the work during the preseason might've been able to get him ready for something like this. I'm hoping that's the case."
Minshew played in all four of Jacksonville's preseason games, while Foles hit the field in just one.
"I was really proud of him for stepping up," Foles said after the game, with his arm still in the sling, "and I'm going to be here to help him anyway possible."
Behind Minshew on the depth chart is, well, no one. Jacksonville employed the likes of Alex McGough and Tanner Lee at QB in the preseason but entered the regular season without a third signal-caller. Jacksonville currently has second-year quarterback Chase Litton on its practice squad but will likely look to free agency to find a backup for Minshew while Foles recovers.
Looking to bounce back from a 5-11 2018 season, the Jaguars signed Foles, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl crown two seasons past, to a four-year, $88 million contract in March.
Now it looks like they won't get an immediate return on that investment.
