This could have an impact in the top half of the NFL Draft order.
The Philadelphia Eagles announced on Wednesday that they will not use the franchise tag on quarterback Nick Foles, and he will become an unrestricted free agent next month. Foles paid back $2 million in bonus money to get out of his contract, and the team decided not to push back on it.
Foles will be the best quarterback in a market that is decidedly unimpressive. Teddy Bridgewater will likely get a flier, but there is not a whole lot to get out of this group. There are plenty of teams looking to improve the quarterback position, but how many will look to invest in a shaky free agency class?
The Jacksonville Jaguars are viewed by many as the favorite to make a run at Foles. They currently have the least amount of cap space in the league ($526,189), but will be able to clean things up with some releases, including potentially dumping Blake Bortles.
BetOnline and BetDSI are offering odds on where Foles will sign for the 2019 season. BetOnline opened Foles as a -150 favorite (bet $150 to win $100), and have boosted them to -200 favorites. The Miami Dolphins are next at +500 (bet $100 to win $500) and the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington are tied at +900.
BetDSI has Washington as the favorite at +200, followed by the Jaguars (+300), Dolphins (+400), and Cardinals (+800). It’s worth noting BetDSI has the Raiders at +1200 and BetOnline has them at +1400. BetDSI also offers the San Francisco 49ers +2000, tied with the Carolina Panthers for tenth. It’s safe to say he will not be joining the 49ers.
Washington needs a quarterback, but with the money they have invested in Alex Smith, it seems unlikely they can go as high as Foles might want. The Jaguars make the most sense, unless the Raiders get frisky and decide they want to move on from Derek Carr.
This will not completely shake up the top of the draft, but particularly if the Jaguars make a push for Foles, it removes one team that might be willing to move up to land their quarterback of the future. I’d prefer otherwise, but the Jaguars seem to be the one that makes the most sense.
Where do you think Foles lands?
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