Nick Foles Favored to Remain With Jaguars In 2020

The Nick Foles story – if it never gets better or has another happy chapter – is still a wild success story. The backup quarterback who won an NFC championship and then beat Tom Brady in the Super Bowl will always have a championship and a perfect sports moment, no matter what happens to him in the future.

At the same time, he’s had a rough go of things in his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. After signing a four-year, $88 million contract in the offseason, Foles was injured in his first game. After he returned from injured reserve, he played just over two games where the Jags were blown out, and now he’s been benched. Is his time in Jacksonville already up? The odds suggest he’ll be back as the team’s starter next year.

STARTER FOR THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
ODDS: -150

This is a reasonable possibility but the Jaguars know that rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II has been very good for them this season. Minshew offers a younger, less injured quarterback who could develop within the Jaguars’ offense and become the team’s quarterback of the future. Minshew has completed 61.1% of his passes while tossing 15 touchdowns and just four picks.

Foles would have to dazzle in summer camp in order to win back the job and that gives him a very small margin for error. If it’s basically a tie or if Foles is anything less than spectacular, Minshew would probably figure to be the guy. The Jags will probably feel that if they’re rebuilding or not expecting to compete for anything major next season, Foles won’t move the needle for them enough. That could push them to Minshew.

The challenge here is Foles contract. He’s going to cost the team $34 million against the cap if they cut him, he’ll cost $19 million. That means it’s cheaper to keep him as they’ll owe him $15.125 million in salary next season.

BACKUP FOR JAGUARS
ODDS: +175

This seems like the most likely outcome. The Jaguars invested a lot in Foles, so they probably won’t try to unload him right now. They might wait one more year to do that. It might seem like a waste of money, but the Jaguars can reasonably keep Foles as a backup, knowing they would have an insurance policy if Minshew struggles in 2020.

Given that Minshew is a first-year player, his second season could be rough. Think of how Mitch Trubisky has struggled in Chicago or how Daniel Jones started so well with the New York Giants but then came crashing down to earth. Minshew has given the team a spark but he’s also limited physically. Having Foles as the backup is not a terrible thing for Jacksonville – even if the Jaguars paid him big money with the intention of having him as the starting quarterback.

STARTER ELSEWHERE OR BACKUP ELSEWHERE
STARTER ELSEWHERE ODDS: +300
BACKUP ELSEWHERE ODDS: +1000

This is not a completely ridiculous possibility. The Indianapolis Colts might think they can land Foles. After all, the man who worked with Foles in Philadelphia, Frank Reich, is now the Colts’ head coach. That could be the dream scenario for Foles. We now have a blueprint for these NBA-style trades where a team with a ton of cap spaces eats a bad contract but gets a draft pick in return (see: Brock Osweiler trade). That’s one way that the Jags could get out from under Foles’ contract and move on.

However, the idea that Foles will go to another team and not have a starting job seems very unlikely. If Foles is a backup next year, it will certainly be in Jacksonville.

Get the latest NFL football odds and information–follow BetOnline.ag on Twitter!

BetOnline.ag on Instagram–Follow for the latest odds, stats and information!