Section 215
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Philadelphia Eagles: Foles opted to remain a backup over going to the Browns

By Matty Breisch

(Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
(Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) /
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According to the NFL insider Michael Silver, Nick Foles preferred to remain a backup with the Philadelphia Eagles over being traded to the Cleveland Browns.

Woah, NFL.com just dropped some news about the Philadelphia Eagles.

After many pundits and blogs, including Section 215, theorized about whether or not the Eagles would cash in on the best insurance policy in the league and trade away Nick Foles for a kings ransom, we have finally been given a bit more information on just how close the team was to move on from the Super Bowl 52 MVP.

In a bombshell report published on NFL.com, NFL columnist Michael Silver broke down a trade conversation between the Cleveland Browns and your friendly neighborhood Eagles, and apparently, the talks got fairly far along.

While the Browns did not offer up the first round pick Howie Roseman apparently coveted for Foles services, they offered the next best thing, the 35th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, in a deal that would have given the Birds plenty of ammunition to move around the draft board as they please and reload their roster with some top-tier talent.

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Though the Eagles may have rejected the deal regardless, according to Silver the biggest detractor of the deal was actually Foles himself.

Earlier in the offseason, Foles expressed a desire to become a long-term starter after achieving his ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl as a starting quarterback following Carson Wentz‘s season-ending ACL injury, however, apparently a move to Cleveland wasn’t Foles first choice.

And frankly, can you blame him?

While Foles could very well spend the entire 2018 NFL season on the bench if Wentz can remain healthy, the ability to stay put in a scheme that he’s clearly excelled in at the highest level apparently offered him a better chance of receiving a new, long-term contract than taking his talents to a then 0-16 Browns squad and attempt to make enough plays to remain in high demand going into 2019.

This, when coupled with the Browns ownership of the first and fourth overall picks in the 2018 NFL Draft obviously left Foles feeling like he would once again be a lame duck, bridge quarterback keeping a seat warm for the next Browns’ draft project.

Now granted, had Foles known that the Browns would go out and trade for a slew of playmakers like Carlos Hyde, Jarvis Landry, and Damarious Randall while adding even more players in the draft, he may have changed his tune, but at the time, a move to Cleveland must have felt more like a trip to football purgatory than an opportunity to stake one’s claim at being named a franchise quarterback, making his ultimate rejection both surprising and inevitable.

Even though Wentz is already showing positive signs of a full comeback on the first day of OTAs, if he were to go down with another injury, or suffer a setback going into the season, having to start third-year backup Nate Sudfeld for an extended period of time could be disastrous for the Eagles chances of defending their title in 2018.

Next: Carson Wentz already showing positive signs at OTAs

While it would have been nice for the Eagles to recoup a high second round pick, and potentially draft a linebacker to replace Mychal Kendricks and Paul Worrilow moving forward at 35, after Foles helped lead his team to their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history, it’s pretty cool that Roseman decided to keep his feelings in mind and keep him around for the 2018 season. Morale is key to keeping a team together and willing to put it all on the line for their brothers in arms, and by keeping Foles in midnight green for one final season, Roseman insured that the team will be able to retain one of their emotional leaders for the rest of the year.

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