Nick Foles’ Eagles Future Remains Murky
Nick Foles was the MVP of the Super Bowl, but his future with the Eagles is far from certain. On Monday morning, coach Doug Pederson all but confirmed that Carson Wentz will be the Eagles’ starter to open up the 2018 season. 
“I had a chance to talk to Carson actually on the field, on the podium last night after the game. I told him to take this in, enjoy this moment,” Pederson said on Monday morning (via NFL.com). “He’s a great quarterback and he’s a big reason — I told him you’re a big, big part of why this team won this championship, won this game. I told him that hopefully we’ll be back in this game with him leading the way.”
When asked if the Super Bowl MVP can realistically return as Wentz’ backup, Pederson didn’t have much in the way of concrete answers.
“I knew I couldn’t get off this stage without that question,” Pederson said. “You know what? I’m going to tell you right now, we’re going to enjoy it, we’re going to get on this plane, go back to Philadelphia, we’re going to celebrate with our fans back in Philly. We’ve got a long offseason — well, really a short offseason now. We’re just going to enjoy this moment. I’m happy for Nick, I’m happy for the team. It’s not about one guy, it’s about the team. Like I said, we’re going to enjoy these next few days.”
The Eagles would certainly like to keep Foles as Wentz’s No. 2 in the event of another injury next season and he has proven himself to be more than worthy of his $7.6MM cap charge for next season. At the same time, Foles will likely want to be a starting quarterback again and the Eagles could definitely use some additional draft capital as they pick last in the first round and do not own their second or third round picks thanks to trades. In the coming weeks, the Eagles can be expected to keep the phone lines open as teams inquire about this year’s Super Bowl hero.
Updated 2018 NFL Draft Order
With the Super Bowl in the books, we now know the draft order for the entire first round of the 2018 draft. Here’s the rundown:
1. Cleveland Browns (0-16)
2. New York Giants (3-13)
3. Indianapolis Colts (4-12)
4. Cleveland Browns (via the 4-12 Houston Texans)
5. Denver Broncos (5-11)
6. New York Jets (5-11)
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11)
8. Chicago Bears (5-11)
T-9. Oakland Raiders (6-10)
T-9. San Francisco 49ers (6-10) (Note: The Raiders and 49ers have identical records and the same strength of schedule. The tie will be broken by a coin flip with the winner getting pick No. 9 and the other club receiving the No. 10 pick.)
11. Miami Dolphins (6-10)
12. Cincinnati Bengals (7-9)
13. Washington Redskins (7-9)
14. Green Bay Packers (7-9)
15. Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
16. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)
17. Los Angeles Chargers (9-7)
18. Seattle Seahawks (9-7)
19. Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
20. Detroit Lions (9-7)
21. Buffalo Bills (9-7)
22. Buffalo Bills (via the 10-6 Kansas City Chiefs)
23. Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
24. Carolina Panthers (11-5)
25. Tennessee Titans (9-7)
26. Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
27. New Orleans Saints (11-5)
28. Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3)
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6)
30. Minnesota Vikings (13-3)
31. New England Patriots (13-3)
32. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)
Eagles Win Super Bowl LII
The Philadelphia Eagles have won their first Super Bowl championship, holding off the New England Patriots in a classic.
Philadelphia prevailed in a 41-33 victory in Minneapolis, riding an all-time performance from backup quarterback Nick Foles. Carson Wentz‘s backup accounted for four touchdowns, being on the receiving a historic trick play at the goal line at the end of the first half, to help propel the Eagles to their first championship since 1960.
For his work, Foles earned MVP honors.
The 29-year-old quarterback, now in his second Eagles stint, turned in back-to-back dominant outings to lift the team to the NFL’s summit — his best work coming to hand the Patriots their third Super Bowl defeat of the Bill Belichick era.
Foles completed 28 of 43 passes, throwing for three touchdowns to counter Tom Brady‘s bid for another comeback. The Patriots icon broke his own Super Bowl record by throwing for 505 yards, adding three touchdown passes. But Brandon Graham intervened in a crucial spot to stymie Brady and New England’s bid for a second straight Super Bowl title.
Graham’s pass rush stripped the ball from Brady and denied the Patriots’ offense a chance at a game-winning touchdown drive. The Patriots, like they did in a Super Bowl XLVI loss to the Giants, had a final-play opportunity. But the Eagles thwarted their hail mary to preserve the championship in a game that broke the all-time record for yardage in a Super Bowl.
The teams combined for 1,151 yards, 75 of those coming on the Eagles’ go-ahead touchdown drive that ended in a Foles-to-Zach Ertz connection. That ended up being enough to clinch a championship in Doug Pederson‘s second season as HC. Philadelphia constructed a dramatic improvement from its 7-9 2016 effort.
The 85th-year franchise won three playoff games — despite being underdogs in all three — to hold seed in the NFC then upend the Patriots, winning a Super Bowl in its third try and avenging a loss to the Patriots 13 years ago.
Eagles Open To Trading QB Nick Foles
The Eagles are expected to receive trade interest in quarterback Nick Foles this offseason, and they’re open to dealing their backup signal-caller for the right price, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).
Following Carson Wentz‘s ACL tear, Foles led Philadelphia to a 2-1 record during the final three games of the regular season, and posted five touchdowns against two interceptions during that time. The 29-year-old Foles further stepped up his performance during the Eagles’ first two postseason contests, as he’s managed a 77.8% completion rate, three touchdowns, and no picks.
Although the 2018 quarterback market boasts several competent alternatives, Foles would offer a cheap stop-gap option. While he’s technically signed through 2021, the 2019-21 campaigns are void years. An acquiring club would be picking up Foles for only one season (barring an extension), during which he’d earn a $4MM base salary ($3MM of which is fully guaranteed) and a $3MM roster bonus. The Eagles would take on the remaining signing bonus proration of Foles’ contract, which amounts to $2.4MM.
It’s unclear what kind of return Philadelphia could hope to reap in exchange for Foles. While he’s been successful over the past month or so, Foles’ career track record is consistent with that of an average-to-below-average quarterback. Just last offseason, Foles hit the open market and was only able to land a backup job. The Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman, for their part, have been extremely active in the trade market over the past few years, and have expressed an openness for deals that include either draft picks or other established players.
The key benefit for Philadelphia in a Foles trade would be removing his salary cap charge from its 2018 books. At present, the Eagles are a projected $9.5MM over the cap next season, so clearing $5.2MM by trading Foles would be the club’s first step towards getting right with the cap.
Carson Wentz Making Progress In Recovery
The Eagles are gearing up for Super Bowl LII tonight, but their prospects for next season got a nice boost this morning. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that, this Wednesday, Carson Wentz will begin weight-bearing exercises with his brace unlocked for the first time since being placed on injured reserve. That marks a big milestone in Wentz’s recovery, because when he is able to begin weight-bearing exercises, his recovery can proceed as if he had torn only his ACL instead of his ACL and LCL.
Eagles Nearly Traded For Brandin Cooks
Brandin Cooks had a successful first season in New England, posting 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns for the AFC champions after he was acquired from the Saints last offseason in exchange for a first-round draft pick. However, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports, Cooks was very nearly traded to the Eagles, the team he will be playing against in tonight’s Super Bowl.
Per Rapoport, the Eagles had agreed to trade safety Malcolm Jenkins, a third-round pick, and two fourth-rounders to New Orleans for Cooks, but the trade was scuttled at the last minute.
It is impossible to say how the deal would have impacted the Saints, Patriots, or Eagles, but at least from Philadelphia’s perspective, it is probably for the best that it did not happen. If it had, the Eagles likely would not have signed Alshon Jeffery, who was terrific in his first season in Philly, and they would have sorely missed Jenkins, who earned a Pro Bowl nod this year.
Plus, the third-rounder that would have been sent to New Orleans ended up being used in a separate trade to acquire Timmy Jernigan, and one of the fourth-rounders was used on promising young wideout Mack Hollins. All in all, then, it seems as if all parties involved are happy with the way things worked out.
Eagles Notes: Jernigan, Douglas
- It sounds like the Eagles will have the services of defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan in the Super Bowl, even though he’s missed the last two days with an illness. “Because of the position and he’s one of our veteran guys, I do feel comfortable that he’ll be ready,” Pederson told a pool reporter (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). This season, Jernigan ranked as the No. 33 ranked interior defender in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, making him a quality partner for Fletcher Cox (ranked No. 2) in the middle of the line.
- Howie Roseman was asked about the Eagles’ decision to block vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas from interviewing for the Texans’ GM job this offseason and offered up a vague explanation. “We were during the season,” Roseman said (via Matt Lombardo of NJ.com). “I think that the way the league rules are, that during the season, it’s not expected that you’d allow people to interview with other teams. That’s the way the rules are written. We’re going to abide by the rules that are written. Joe’s a valuable part of our organization. We love having him in Philadelphia. But, again, during the season we’re going to focus on playing.” Going forward, the Eagles will probably have to give Douglas an elevation in salary and title in order to keep him in the organization.
Eagles Tried To Trade For LeSean McCoy
Under Chip Kelly‘s watch, the Eagles shipped star LeSean McCoy to the Bills. After Kelly was canned, top exec Howie Roseman tried to bring him back to the nest. Roseman tried to reacquire McCoy in a trade with Buffalo after Kelly was fired “through back-channel intermediaries,” according to sources who spoke with Manish Mehta of the Daily News. 
The Eagles pitched one package including wide receiver Jordan Matthews, according to Mehta. Of course, Matthews later wound up in Buffalo in a different deal last summer that brought cornerback Ronald Darby to the Eagles.
A McCoy return would have delighted the Philadelphia faithful, but things worked out just fine for the Eagles in the long run. During the season, Roseman swung a surprising pre-deadline deal for Dolphins runner Jay Ajayi, who has provided the Eagles with some much-needed athleticism out of the backfield. On Sunday, the Eagles will have the opportunity to win their first ever Super Bowl, thanks in part to his presence.
McCoy didn’t have the best season in 2014, but he was still productive for Philadelphia at the time of the trade with 1,319 rushing yards and a 4.2 YPC average in that season. In 2013, McCoy was rated as the very best tailback in football according to Pro Football Focus. In his three seasons with Buffalo, McCoy has averaged 4.6 yards per carry and has averaged 1,200+ yards per 16 games. Kelly anticipated that McCoy would fall off by now, but he remains one of the league’s most lethal running backs.
Rob Gronkowski To Play In Super Bowl
The Patriots will have the services of Rob Gronkowski on Sunday. The tight end has cleared concussion protocol, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). 
Members of the press got their first clue that Gronk had cleared concussion protocol when he was announced to be available to media Thursday afternoon. This was the expected outcome as Gronkowski answered in the affirmative on Tuesday when asked if he would play.
Gronkowski was forced out of the Pats’ AFC Championship Game victory against the Jaguars two weeks ago, leading to some question about whether he would be ready to go. With the extra week off between the semifinal and the Super Bowl, the Pats star had enough time to clear the cobwebs and gain medical clearance.
Gronkowski hauled in a team-high 69 catches for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns this year. Now that the Jaguars know he’ll be on the field, they’ll have to game plan for one of the game’s scariest offensive weapons. The Eagles’ linebackers will do their part to cover Gronkowski near the line, but Philly may be forced to use members of the secondary against him as well.
John DeFilippo Likely To Stay With Eagles?
Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo may be a candidate for the Vikings’ offensive coordinator vacancy, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll fly the nest this offseason. Sources believe DeFilippo will stay in Philadelphia, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com tweets. Meanwhile, Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski remains a strong candidate for the position. 
The Vikings are reportedly hopeful they will get a chance to speak with DeFilippo about their OC job once Super Bowl LII is in the books. The Vikings have taken longer to fill their coordinator vacancy than most other teams in the league and it’s possible that DeFilippo’s name is keeping things in a holding pattern. If DeFilippo turns down the opportunity to interview after the big game, we could theoretically see a hire made early next week.
So far, four candidates have interviewed for the job: Stefanski, ex-Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell, Texans QBs coach Sean Ryan, and Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell.