The Jacksonville Jaguars have their minds made up to see if rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II can bring some life to their offense, and they seem to be willing to roll with him to close the season. However, the fact that the Jags had to bench veteran Nick Foles has caused fans to wonder about his future as a Jag and the best method to get his contract off their hands sooner or later.
At this point, it’s clear what Shad Khan needs to do with his current staff in the front office and the coaching department: let them all go. It also would be wise to rebuild on top of that because the salaries they are paying out don’t match the results they are getting. Foles, unfortunately, fits into that category of not living up to his salary.
If Khan knows he can no longer take half measures and simply needs to reset everything, it appears Foles’ fate could be in the hands of another regime. Most front offices start by distancing themselves from the mistakes of their predecessors, and in Foles’ case, some are thinking that could lead to a trade in 2020.
If Khan takes the right route and resets his front office, trading Foles (if they can) would help tremendously towards the salary cap. He doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract (or at least it hasn’t been reported) like some veteran quarterbacks who have big-time deals around the league, so that means he is moveable.
Of course, the issue with trading Foles is that his play has been lackluster in the time we’ve seen him, and his contract isn’t one that will appeal to a majority of the league. Simply put, if the Jags can find a suitor, it would be one with a lot of salary cap and one in need of a veteran quarterback. It’s inevitable that comparisons are drawn with Brock Osweiler, who the Houston Texans signed to a huge deal in March of 2016, but found a way to dump his salary ($16 million) on the Cleveland Browns in 2017 by trading them the veteran and draft picks (a second and sixth-rounder).
Suitors that come to mind are the Miami Dolphins, who should be loaded with cap space next season, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals and perhaps the Indianapolis Colts as pointed out by our comrades at For the Win, although it would take a great deal of desperation from the next front office.
Now, we’d like to hear from you all at home through our first-ever Jags Wire forum post. Do you all think trading Foles is even a possibility? If so, who do you think would take him? Or do you believe the Jags will flat out release or keep him under new management? Let us know in the forum.