It's pretty safe to assume that any move the Chicago Bears made at the quarterback position was going to be divisive. It all depends on who you asked. Sure enough, there was more than a smattering of groans when the Nick Foles trade became reality. The Jacksonville Jaguars send the 30-year old veteran north to rejoin Matt Nagy, John DeFilippo, and Bill Lazor. One guy in that building who probably wasn't tickled about it was Mitch Trubisky.
Speculation about who starts aside, people are already calling this trade a monumental blunder. The worst of the Ryan Pace era.
It would be so easy to join in that chorus of boos because it seems like every QB move this team makes is so underwhelming. However, after having a chance to digest the entire scenario, I've reached a conclusion that some may not like.
It's actually a good trade. Now before people get bent out of shape, let's take a chance to explore why it's good.
Why the Nick Foles trade isn't that bad
Reason #1 - Depth
Let's start with the most obvious part of this. The Bears quarterback position is upgraded as a whole. This is not up for debate. People will argue whether Foles is better than Trubisky (he is) but there is no way they can dispute he's better than Chase Daniel. He has way more starting experience and considerably more talent. So at the very worst, the Bears got themselves a quality #2 option.
Given Trubisky's recent bouts with health problems in the form of two shoulder injuries, this is a worthwhile investment. Depth is everything in the NFL. Especially at the quarterback position. Would the Bears have beaten the Raiders in London last year if they'd had Foles instead of Daniel? Probably, yeah.
Reason #2 - System knowledge
If the Bears wanted somebody who could run the Nagy offense the way it's meant to be, they found the exact right guy. Foles knows this system as well as anybody. He played in it from 2016 to 2018 with the Chiefs and Eagles. During that span, he went 12-3 as a starter with 3,798 yards passing, 24 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 95.64 quarterback rating. Clearly he likes playing in this style of offense.
One must also remember the Coronavirus impact in this situation. With no offseason activities and no physicals to conduct, teams trading for quarterbacks were taking a significant risk in terms of both health and ability to install a QB into an offense. Foles shouldn't have that problem.
Reason #3 - Manageable contract
One of the things people are screaming about the most is the contract. Jacksonville handed Foles a massive $88 million deal in 2019 to be their starter. Now they've traded that to the Bears who are already a cash-strapped team. The truth is most of the guaranteed money in that deal is staying in Jacksonville. Chicago is only on the hook for just over $15 million over the final three years.
All things considered, things average out to Foles getting about $15 million per year. While not exactly cheap, it is reasonable. Especially if he ends up starting and playing well. If push comes to shove, the Bears can void the deal in 2021 for no penalties. So this isn't the cement shoes dragging the team down to ruin people are making it seem.
Reason #4 - It's a late 4th rounder
As usual, people tend to get a little too clingy with draft picks in these situations. The Bears gave up the 140th pick in the 2020 draft for Foles. That equates to a compensatory pick at the bottom of the 4th round. For the record, of the 50 players chose with that selection, none of them are in the Hall of Fame and only three made the Pro Bowl in their careers. Two of them via special teams. Suffice to say the odds of Chicago finding a quality contributor for 2020 with that pick were minuscule at best.
If Foles becomes even a decent quarterback for the Bears this coming season, then it is well worth that pick. They still have seven total in the draft including five on Day 3. It's not like they lost a ton. Also keep this in mind. By trading for Foles and not signing a free agent, the Bears protected their compensatory pick formula for 2021 which could include three extra picks.
Reason #5 - That ring
The NFL has seen what can happen when Foles gets hot. He's done a few times in his career. In 2013, he racked up 27 touchdowns with just two interceptions in 10 games for the Eagles. Then in 2017 he stepped in for the injured Carson Wentz and guided them to a Super Bowl title, outdueling Tom Brady in a 41-33 shootout. People like to gloss over those accomplishments and focus on his leaner years in St. Louis and Jacksonville. Two places that featured bad football teams.
Foles may not be a superstar who can thrive in any offense. However, he's proven multiple times and if put in the right situation he can string together victories. The Bears have a great defense. They have a stud wide receiver. If they can put a good enough offensive line in front of him, there's no reason to think Foles is incapable of recapturing some of that old magic.
It wouldn't be a surprise if people view the Nick Foles trade a bit differently a few months from now.
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