By Jordan Long
NFL free agency is well underway. A surprising move came from the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars sent quarterback Nick Foles to Chicago for a 4th round pick. This ends the Foles area in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville inked Foles to a 4-year, $88 million contract last offseason. The Jaguars were hoping he was going to lead the football team for years to come. Foles started 4 games for Jacksonville. He missed most of the season dealing with a broken clavicle which he suffered in week 1’s loss to Kansas City. Foles ended the year with a starting record of 0-4, the worst in his career. In those starts, he tossed for 736 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
Jacksonville went with backup Gardner Minshew while Foles was dealing with his injury. Jacksonville played better football with Minshew. They were able to keep drives going on offense. It helped Minshew was protecting the football and not forcing the ball downfield into coverage. He finished the year with a 6-6 record. Minshew ended with 3,271 yards passing, 21 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. The Jaguars saw enough of Minshew to know he can lead the franchise moving forward.
The Bears as a landing spot doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. They have their quarterback of the future in Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky has been the number 1 quarterback on the roster since he was drafted in 2017. He has a career record of 23-18 for Chicago while passing for 8,554 yards and 48 touchdowns. He won’t make many mistakes with the football with 29 interceptions. Jacksonville should have traded Foles to a team that needs a starter such as the L.A. Chargers.
With this addition, it gives the Bears competition for Trubisky during training camp. It is expected Trubisky will win the job. If Foles isn’t the starter, at least the Bears have a backup quarterback who has NFL experience. This could come into play if Trubisky struggles.
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