With the Chicago Bears drafting Justin Fields, Nick Foles has become such a leftover name. Andy Dalton is still being listed as the quarterback while we all know the future is Fields. It may not happen on the first week of the season but the offense is going to switch over to Fields very soon.
It is not the most pressing question, but there is a wonder as to what is going to happen with Nick Foles now. If the team trades Foles after June 1, they could save $4 million, whereas he would only save them about $1 million if he is traded before June 1.
With that in mind, the Bears could be three weeks away from shipping Foles out. Still, the question is whether or not they can even get anything for Foles. If they do, it would be a late day three pick. To be fair, the Bears may need that $4 million, and they cannot save any money releasing him, so a trade for anything could be worth it.
At the same time, Nick Foles could have more value staying with the Chicago Bears. Let’s face it, the team lost Kyle Fuller without a great replacement, and they have a question in the slot, and Robert Quinn and Danny Trevathan are not getting younger. Still, the defense is the strength. The offense did not add skill positions and will have a rookie, and potentially two starting soon.
The Bears want to and will compete, as this is not a bottom-tier roster. However, the entire 2021 season is about the development and eventual success of Justin Fields. The results of 2021 will be minuscule if Fields shows significant progress when he gets on the field late in the season.
With that in mind, $4 million and a seventh-round pick can only go so far. If that is the cost to keep Foles as a third quarterback and a QB coach for Fields is that worth it?
Andy Dalton will help with Fields, but he is competing as well. Foles more or less knows his role. He is great friends with Matt Nagy and if you have ever heard Foles talk, you know that he sees the big picture, and understands his role in the big picture.
Foles knows the offense more than anyone in that room other than Matt Nagy. Nick Foles has played in the biggest moments and has come up big. When Fields get frustrated as a rookie, or when he does not pick something up quick, having a calm presence like Foles who has been there before has a lot more value than he brought to the field last season.
If 2021 is all about the success of Justin Fields, then Nick Foles should stay with the Bears. Matt Nagy can be open and honest about his role, and Foles could go a long way in the long-term progress of Justin Fields.