The Chicago Bears will enter the season with Andy Dalton as their starting quarterback and Justin Fields waiting for his opportunity to step in. As for Nick Foles, the veteran might get a say in what team he plays for this fall.
Foles, who started seven games last season, is third on the Bears’ quarterback depth chart. With plenty of teams in need of a reliable backup signal-caller, the former Super Bowl MVP has been floated as a trade candidate all offseason.
Chicago reportedly tried shopping him before and didn’t have much luck. But the Philadelphia Eagles got involved in negotiations until Foles made it clear he didn’t want to return to the organization. With the preseason over and roster cuts due Tuesday, there is again buzz about a trade.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Bears still plan to listen to all offers for Foles. However, the team wants his input and will not trade him somewhere he doesn’t want to be.
- Nick Foles stats (2020): 1,852 passing yards, 10:8 TD:INT ratio, 5.9 YPA, 64.7% completion rate
Chicago’s willingness to cater to Foles is a bit surprising. He didn’t play particularly well last season, finishing with an 80.8 passer rating, but the organization seemingly wants to do right by him.
There are also significant cap ramifications to consider. If the right offer isn’t made for Foles, the Bears might feel inclined to release him. It would cost Chicago more than $5 million in cap space to cut him, but the front office might determine it doesn’t want to roster three quarterbacks.
If Foles is traded, the team’s preferred outcome, it would create just over $1 million in cap space. But other teams are operating on tighter budgets this year and might prefer Chicago covers some of his salary for the 2021 season.
With 53-man rosters finalized on Tuesday afternoon, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Foles is traded within the next 48 hours.
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