Nick Foles has a new team, one that comes as no surprise.
The Super Bowl LII MVP has signed a four-year, $88 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, a source told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network's Mike Garafolo on Monday. Foles can make up to $102 million with incentives, Garafolo added. The Jags made the move official Wednesdasy.
The signing ushers in a new era under center in Duval and brings another to a close.
Rapoport added that Jacksonville is expected to release quarterback Blake Bortles when Foles' deal is made official. Bortles, who spent five years in Jacksonville and signed a three-year extension with the organization just 13 months ago, will be a free agent upon his release.
Foles landing in Jacksonville wasn't shocking in the least. Their pairing was rumored and expected ever since the Jaguars hired his former quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo as their offensive coordinator in January. From there, the dots were connected, and the dominoes fell in the right order.
Philly exercised its team option on Foles in February, which the QB quickly voided for the sum of $2 million. Then, the Eagles chose not to franchise-tag Foles, forgoing the power to trade the QB to a preferred suitor and risking him signing with a division rival in New York and Washington.
Then, the starting QB market shrunk. The Broncos agreed to a trade with the Ravens for Joe Flacco and then agreed to ship Case Keenum to the Redskins. When the dust settled, the only team that made sense for Foles was the Jaguars.
Which begs the question: Why did Jacksonville pay so handsomely ($22 million) for a clutch albeit inconsistent free-agent quarterback with no other legitimate bidders?
Garafolo reported that, despite Foles' market or lack thereof, Jacksonville wanted to give Foles a "respectable starting quarterback contract" to ensure his status as the leader of the team, not just in the short term, but for the foreseeable future. At $22 million per year, Foles ranks below Flacco and above Russell Wilson as the 11th highest-paid QB by AAV in the league.
For a Super Bowl champion with two consecutive stellar postseasons under his belt, that's what the market bore. For the Jaguars, who cut a slew of solid players including Malik Jackson, Carlos Hyde, Tashaun Gipson and others to make room for Foles, it was all well worth it.
