Doug Pederson saying goodbye to Nick Foles? 'He'll always be remembered in Philadelphia'

Not that there seems to be much question about Nick Foles’ future in Philadelphia, but Eagles coach Doug Pederson seemed to give him a proper sendoff Monday.

Pederson, on his weekly call-in segment on WIP, thanked Foles for all he has done. That, of course, includes a Super Bowl LII win.

“I can’t say enough good things about Nick,” Pederson told WIP’s Angelo Cataldi on Monday morning. “For him to come here and be the backup behind Carson and then to do the things he’s done the last two years, like I said I can’t thank him enough. He’s a pro’s pro. He’s a great human being, great leader in the locker room. He’ll always be remembered in Philadelphia for bringing a Super Bowl to this city. So, a lot of great things for him and we’ve got these next few weeks, few months to make some tough decision, but we’ll make them at that point.”

That certainly seemed like a goodbye.

Nick Foles had a great run in Philly

Foles’ final (?) game with the Eagles was symbolic of his career. He was white-hot for the first quarter. In the second, third and most of the fourth quarter he suddenly struggled, as did the Eagles offense. Then right at the end Foles was leading what looked like another game-winning drive, but a pass went through Alshon Jeffery’s hands and was intercepted by Marshon Lattimore. It summed up Foles well: When he’s hot he looks like one of the best quarterbacks in football, but he has plenty of moments when he cools way down.

There has been a lot of chatter about what the Eagles should do with Carson Wentz and Foles, and it’s all kind of foolish. Wentz was considered the NFL MVP about 13 months ago, before a torn ACL. He’s a very, very good quarterback when he doesn’t have a fracture in his back, as he did this season. It’s a made-up debate. The Eagles aren’t moving on from Wentz at 26 years old, even if there should be concern about his ability to stay healthy.

The Eagles haven’t wavered from their commitment to Wentz, nor should they, and unless there’s an incredible change of direction, that likely means Foles will move on.

Will Eagles try to trade Foles?

The only drama, especially after Pederson’s farewell speech to him, seems to be if the Eagles will try to trade him or just let him go. There’s a mutual option for $20 million, but given the barren landscape at quarterback this offseason, Foles might not take that. Philadelphia also might not want to risk having Foles accept and then getting stuck with a $20 million backup (though there probably wouldn’t be much trouble trading him). The Eagles could franchise tag him, but that’s risky and a lot of cap space to tie up while a deal is worked out.

The safest route would be for the Eagles will let Foles walk in free agency and take the compensatory pick. Teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos could be in the market for a quarterback and Foles might be the safest option available, unless you prefer Teddy Bridgewater.

Pederson was right in that Foles will always be remembered in Philadelphia. He’ll be an icon there for what happened last postseason. But as it stands, it seems he’ll be playing elsewhere next season.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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