Maybe the Bears could actually find a trade partner for QB Nick Foles
Things have changed a lot over the last year since the Chicago Bears traded for veteran quarterback Nick Foles. The Bears went out and signed veteran Andy Dalton this offseason and took a huge swing to trade up to draft quarterback Justin Fields, who Chicago is hoping is the future of the franchise.
Foles, who the Bears traded a fourth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars to acquire, suddenly finds himself stuck at third on the depth chart and taking up $6.66 million in valuable cap space.
The Bears have reportedly been looking to deal Foles this offseason, but there haven’t been any takers. That isn’t surprising given his struggles in his seven-game starting stint last season when he was eventually replaced by a previously-benched Mitchell Trubisky. But perhaps all hope isn’t lost.
When Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune was asked about the possibility of the Bears unloading Foles on someone else, there was one team that Biggs believes makes a ton of sense: the New York Jets.
The team that makes the most sense for Foles is the New York Jets. They’re going to start No. 2 pick Zach Wilson from Day 1 unless training camp and preseason are complete disasters for him. The only other quarterbacks on the roster are James Morgan, a fourth-round pick a year ago, and Mike White, who entered the league in 2019 as an undrafted free agent. The Jets could use a veteran with experience to show Wilson the ropes, help teach him how to study film and be a mentor of sorts. Foles seems like an ideal candidate to be that guy, and having him and Andy Dalton on the Bears roster with Justin Fields is redundant. The Bears would create a salary-cap savings if they can trade Foles after June 1.
As Biggs mentioned, the Jets would make a ton of sense for a franchise that lacks an experienced veteran quarterback on the roster behind their prized rookie Zach Wilson. Whether the Jets actually decide to make a move to land Foles — which wouldn’t take much — remains to be seen.
But unless the Bears can find a trade partner, Foles will remain on the roster as it would cost more against their cap than keeping him. Not that Chicago would get much in return, but it would be more about freeing up valuable cap space for a team that has roughly $219,000 in available cap space ahead of June 1.
If the Bears could manage to get Foles off their books and a late-round pick in the process, it would certainly be a win. But Biggs doesn’t see another team besides the Jets that could be interested.
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