Philadelphia Eagles: Are the Arizona Cardinals interested in Nick Foles?

With Carson Palmer retired, could the Arizona Cardinals be interested in trading for the Philadelphia Eagles ex-Arizona Wildcat quarterback Nick Foles?

Unlike the Philadelphia Eagles, the Arizona Cardinals are kind of a mess.

After building one of the most well-rounded teams in the league, the desert birds have slowly been outpaced in the cutthroat NFC West conference, going from 13-3 division winners in 2015 to an 8-8 third-place afterthought in 2017.

But unfortunately for the Cardinals, it doesn’t look like things are going to get much better anytime soon.

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At the season’s culmination, Bruce Arians, the team’s two-time NFL Coach of the Year, officially announced his retirement from the game, as his health made it impossible to continue coaching. While this was obviously a huge blow for the team, it would not be the first Cardinal to leave money on the table in Glenside. Literally the next day, Carson Palmer, the team’s 38-year-old three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, also announced his retirement after 14 seasons in the league, leaving the team with holes at arguably their two most vital positions.

While the team did retain Larry Fitzgerald, arguably the best player in Cardinals history, for his 15th season in Glenside, Arizona’s window to remain relevant with their aging roster appears to be closing fast, and if the team doesn’t want a mass exodus of players out of the desert they will need to find a way to allow Steve Wilks‘ squad to remain competitive in 2018.

And that success can be made or broken at the quarterback position.

In a recent interview on FM 98.7, Arizona’s Sports Station, general manager Steve Keim broke down the team’s desire to remain competitive in 2018 and detailed exactly how the Cards plan to fill their quarterbacks’ room when the league year begins on March 14:

"“You have to have Plan A, B, C and D. Whether that is a, addressing it with a free-agent quarterback, b, trade option, c, draft, or all of the above … but at the end of the day you can’t get caught on (Plan) ‘A’ because there are factors that go into decisions by a free-agent quarterback (or) any trade process that you can’t put your finger on."

While this breakdown seems fairly obvious, it’s interesting that Keim explicitly described trading for a player as an option to fill the their void. I mean sure, there are a number of teams who have quarterbacks available for trade, like Tyrod Taylor from the Bills, Brett Hundley from the Packers or Tom Savage from the Texans, the only true starting-caliber quarterback who could turn around a franchise is Super Bowl 52 MVP Nick Foles.

Though he only appeared in seven games last season, Foles put on a show in Doug Pederson‘s hybrid west coast offense, winning five of the teams final seven regular season games, and leading the Eagles through the playoffs with a 115.7 QBR while completing over 72 percent of his passes. And it all culminated in the Super Bowl.

Facing off against Tom Brady, Foles kept the Eagles competitive and consistently moved the ball down the field on Bill Belichick Patriots‘ defense, in a game where neither team punted the ball. Though Brady did throw for more yards, Foles completed a higher percentage of his passes, and ultimately came away with the win, giving Philadelphia it’s first Lombardi Trophy.

But with Carson Wentz still on the roster, and likely the team’s starting quarterback for the next decade plus, Foles has become an incredibly intriguing trade chip for Howie Roseman and company, and will likely become a starting quarterback on another team when his Eagles contract expires.

(Photo by Rich Schultz /Getty Images) /

What makes Nick Foles a fit in Arizona?

With the Cardinals having cleaned shop following the 2017 season, the Cardinals are in need of a new offensive identity, and Foles could be a great fit in Mike McCoy‘s offensive scheme.

Known for his ability to out-scheme opponents, McCoy has made a name for himself in the NFL by deploying a deadly Erhardt-Perkins offense. Though far from a household name, the Erhardt-Perkins offense has been co-opted by dozens of teams since it was developed in 1979, and remains effective in 2018 due to its simple concepts, and scheme flexibility. As highlighted by Big Blue View, the Erhardt-Perkins scheme is built around simple play calls that maximize a team’s personnel and allows a quarterback to effectively audible into a favorable play based on a defensive look.

Though Foles has never actually played in an Erhardt-Perkins offensive as a pro, the sixth year veteran has thrived in the quick passing game and has the vision needed to make smart decisions. While McCoys’ offense has been incredibly successful with a veteran quarterback like Philip Rivers under center, the scheme was not particularly effective last season in Denver, as the Broncos‘ young stable of quarterbacks struggled to pick up the scheme’s nuances. Though the Cardinals could very well take a quarterback in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, like they tried to last season, it may make more sense to spend some draft capital on a proven veteran, as opposed to selecting what could be the fourth highest rated quarterback available in the draft.

Now Foles doesn’t have Wentz’s athleticism, but he quickly adapted to Pederson’s scheme and became absolutely lethal in the run-pass-option, his signature play. This quick release and fast decisionmaking would make Foles a great fit in Arizona and could give McCoy and Wilks a proven winner to pair with Fitzgerald and All-Pro running back David Johnson in their new-look offense.

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Local Boy Makes Good

In addition to Foles fit in the Cardinals’ offense, he would also be a great fit for Arizona fans.

Before being selected 88th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, Foles spend three seasons as the starting quarterback for the Arizona Wildcats and became one of the program’s favorite sons. Though he initially began his college career at Michigan State, Foles quickly realized that he wasn’t going to jump Kirk Cousins on Mark Dantonio‘s depth chart, and instead decided to take his services to Tucson. After sitting out the 2008 season, Foles went on to play 35 games for the Wildcats and threw for over 10,000 yards in only three seasons.

Though Foles return to Arizona shouldn’t be solely based on his Alma Mater, being able to make a hometown hero the face of a franchise could be an amazingly unique opportunity for the Cardinals, and help to ease in in their new regime.

While the Eagles may not actually want to trade Foles, as it’s still up in the air as to when Wentz will be able to return to the field after his ACL injury, the Cardinals should seriously consider inquiring about his services.

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Pay to play

With some experts predicting that Foles’ asking price could be as high as a first-round pick, or maybe even two, it seems much more likely that the Eagles will receive a package similar to what they received for Sam Bradford for the Super Bowl MVP’s services: a first round pick in 2017 and a fourth-round pick in 2018. While this may be small potatoes for a team looking to replace their franchise quarterback, it seems less likely that a team like the Cardinals would give up the 15th pick in the draft for a player on a one-year deal.

Though it may cause some fans to cringe, I believe that a more realistic trade offer for both parties would be something like a second and third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and a player like JJ Nelson for Foles services. While Foles is a great player, his one-year deal and age makes him a slightly less desirable trade chip than Bradford or Jimmy Garoppolo and could limit how much a team would be willing to pay for a player who could cost them over $25 million the following season.

With the Eagles having only one draft pick, 32nd overall, in the first two days of the 2018 draft and one of the tightest salary caps in the league, it’ll be paramount for the team to replenish their existing players with cap friends alternatives, and adding a pair of highly touted draft picks could help to refill their draft capital. Furthermore, adding an underused reclamation project like Nelson, a speedy receiver who’s only started 13 games in Arizona could give Pederson a DeSean Jackson-esque burner who could take the top off the defense, and allow the team to move on from Torrey Smith and his 3-year, $15 million contracts with no cap hit.

Next: Philadelphia Eagles: 5 biggest free agency questions for 2018

After winning the Super Bowl, Foles became a hero in South Philly and will likely remain a fan favorite for years to come, but this is Wentz team. Even if the team were to retain Foles for the 2018 season there’s no way the sixth year vet will re-up with the team to remain a backup when other teams offer him a chance to start, with starter money. Though it may be hard, shipping Nick Foles back to Arizona could be a great opportunity for or birds to recoup assets and get younger and give the Cardinals an opportunity to find a new, homegrown franchise quarterback.

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