In Philadelphia, he’s a legend.
But it seems like everywhere else, it takes a second for people to recognize Nick Foles, the NFL’s journeyman quarterback of 11 years, the one who notably led the Eagles to their Super Bowl victory – en route to the honors of MVP of the game.
But Foles seems fine with the move to obscurity — in fact, he’s embraced as he tries to discover his true self. During an appearance Saturday at the Mariners Church in Irvine, Calif., a day after his release from the Indianapolis Colts, Foles spoke about the inevitability of a career coming to an end and the next options.
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During the event, Foles shared a story about a pickleball match he played recently, in which his opponent had no idea the 6-foot-6, 242-pound Texas native he was playing was. a Super Bowl MVP.
“I said [to the guy], ‘My name is Nick.’ I had glasses on, a backwards hat,” Foles said. “[He said], ‘Man, you should have been like an NFL tight end with your size.’ … [I told him] In fact, I just finished my 11th year in the NFL. He asked what position, [I said]’I play quarterback,’ [and] told him I was playing for the Eagles. [He said]”Almost all of you have won the Super Bowl.” [I told him] I actually won the Super Bowl, [he goes], ‘Oh, you haven’t played in the game though. You backed off.
Since Foles took over from an injured Carson Wentz and led the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory over the Patriots in the Eagles’ 2017-18 season, his NFL career has been a series of stoppages – with few departures – in Jacksonville, Chicago and Indianapolis. , where he appeared in just three games behind starter Matt Ryan, starting two before suffering a rib injury in Week 17.
The writing seemed to be on the wall for Foles, who was one of four quarterbacks on the Colts’ roster, including former Eagles backup Gardner Minshew. Indianapolis selected Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson as the 4th pick in the NFL Draft last weekend. If his career ends here, it will be the one in which Foles completed 62.4% of his passes for 14,227 yards and 82 touchdowns in his 11 seasons.
“I just got released yesterday from the Colts, which is actually a good thing, so don’t cry for me. It’s OK,” Foles said. [former Eagles offensive coordinator] Frank Reich, was fired. Their general manager and I had a good relationship. It’s perfect. Everything’s good.”
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So what does this mean for Foles? He hinted at retirement, but it wouldn’t be the first time Foles considered quitting his NFL career.
“Shoot, almost every year of my career, I almost retired,” Foles said. “Every offseason I think, ‘Do I still want to play? Do I still want to continue? Specifically this last year with everything, God really tested my identity in the game because I was able to get rid of it many years ago, and it was all about Christ. But [with the] The Super Bowl and different experiences, it’s starting to come back. That’s kind of what you’re known for. But then people get to know me and they’re like, ‘He’s just an idiot. He’s like any of us. I mean, maybe I played in the NFL, but definitely I’m just a man. I am only human. I have the same faults.”
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In the meantime, Foles says free agent life provides an opportunity to grow and be present with his family. Foles, whose wife, Tori, is the sister of former Eagles teammate Evan Moore, welcomed a daughter a few months before the 2017-18 season. He also has a son who was born during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“When I find myself fully present [with my children] and engage in what they do, whether it’s building Legos, watching a show, or playing football, when I find that kid in my heart, time flies and we have fun,” Foles said. “Finding that way of being present with them, realizing that wow, when they’re older, that’s going to matter. It doesn’t matter if I played in the NFL or won a Super Bowl.”
Foles’ exit kicked off another offseason of uncertainty for him, but he’s happy with his identity — whether or not it features him on an NFL roster.
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“At the end of the day, it’s been many years since the [Super Bowl win], and that doesn’t define me,” Foles said. “Like I just signed an autograph, and I had to think…they wanted ‘Super Bowl LII MVP,’ but I said, ‘Wait, what was Super Bowl again? Because I don’t really think about it…life goes on. And the most important thing for me right now is to be the best father and the best husband that I can be – not necessarily the best football player.
“Doing all these different things in my career for the last two years hasn’t really been what I want to happen. But [I feel like] that’s how God needed it for me to learn. And I don’t know what it is now, but I know that someday He will show it to me. And the most important thing will be to make sure that my identity is in Christ.
