The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the market for a quarterback. That’s the worst kept secret in the NFL at this point. It’s a matter of who they go after.
Holding the #7 pick in the upcoming NFL draft gives them good position to land one of the top names in the upcoming class. Maybe they have eyes for Drew Lock out of Missouri or Dwayne Haskins of Ohio State? Or maybe they’d like to try free agency. Teddy Bridgewater could be available. Ryan Tannehill is also expected to get cut by the Miami Dolphins. These are interesting options, but not entirely appetizing ones.
That may be why there’s so much buzz surrounding Nick Foles. The Philadelphia Eagles backup is now a Super Bowl MVP and has led his team to four playoff victories in two years. He’s only 29-years old so there’s plenty of gas left in his tank. If there were a team that’s not interesting in a full rebuild at the position and is looking for somebody with proven experience? It doesn’t get much better than Foles.
The Jaguars being a team that believes they’re Super Bowl contenders make more sense than anybody. It’s a matter of whether they’d be willing to pay the price.
Sources: Eagles expected to use their franchise tag on Nick Foles, then try to trade him for a third-round pick, per league sources.https://t.co/uPKcMmEcfh
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 2, 2019
Jacksonville can afford the draft pick but the money is another issue
If the reports are to be believed, the Jaguars shouldn’t have any issues giving up a 3rd round draft pick to secure Foles. That’s actually a quite modest price tag considering how well he’s played of late, even though he’s a backup. The bigger problem for Jacksonville is money. Word is the Eagles plan to pick up the contract option for 2019 which would cost $20 million. They don’t have enough room to hold that for long. The problem is neither do the Jaguars.
The way things stand, they will be over $4 million in the red to start this offseason. That means they’re going to have to do some serious contract maneuvering just to create enough space to fit Foles under the red line. That’s without the hope of some free agency moves and their incoming draft class. They may have to make some tough decisions with Malik Jackson, Calaise Campbell, A.J. Bouye, Marcel Dareus, and Tashaun Gipson all under consideration for release or trading.
It can be done, it’s merely a matter of how and when.