When it started to become clear that the Chicago Bears would likely be looking for a quarterback help in some form or fashion in 2020, plenty of names came up. One of the most intriguing was probably veteran Nick Foles. The former Super Bowl MVP had signed a lucrative four-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars this past offseason with the intention of being their starter. Things seemed to start off well in the opener against Kansas City. That is until he suffered an injury to his shoulder that landed him on injured reserve.
With him on the shelf for the next two and a half months, the Jaguars were forced to turn to rookie backup Gardner Minshew. To their pleasant surprise, the 6th round pick far exceeded their expectations. In nine appearances, he threw for 2,285 yards, 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions. His personality caught the imagination of fans as well, creating “Minshew Mania.” So when Foles finally came off IR, some people were reluctant to see the team had the job back to him.
Their fears weren’t quieted in his first game back either. Foles struggled for most of the afternoon against the Indianapolis Colts, putting up just 13 points in a lopsided game that all but crushed the team’s playoff hopes. This caused some notable backlash. To a point where many were calling for the team to go back to Minshew. Polls indicated that as many as 65% of Jaguars fans wanted this to happen.
Nick Foles trade idea isn’t dead yet for the Bears
This has put the Jaguars in a compromising position. They invested a lot of money in Foles to be their guy. However, Minshew’s sudden rise and the failure of the team to reach the playoffs has created a sort of perfect storm of circumstances. Alfie Crow of Big Cat Country made an important point. Jacksonville can’t just simply go back to their rookie on a whim. The moment they do that, they signal the Foles era is over.
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“The other thing worth mentioning is that as soon as you bench Foles, it’s over. You can’t do this back and forth and hope something works, because that’s just taking a massive leap into desperation mode.
He is no longer a quarterback option for the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s just like when the team finally decided to sit down Blake Bortles in 2018, it was done and over. That was it. If you’re sitting Foles now for anything other than injury, he’s done as the Jaguars quarterback and they’re not willing to even approach admitting that as a mistake after one game.”
Much of how the Jaguars are going to play this depends on how Foles finishes the season. If he improves and the team does fairly well down the stretch, he will likely remain the starter. On the other hand, if he continues to be inconsistent, it will open the door wide for a quarterback controversy going into 2020. Something the team would probably want to avoid.
This is where the Bears could take advantage. They could swoop in with a trade offer to get Foles at what would be a decent price thanks to that contract. They get a guy who understands the system employed by Matt Nagy and who will be just 31-years old. Jacksonville gets to move on with Minshew as the unquestioned starter. Everybody wins.
