Whether or not the Philadelphia Eagles were going to hit Nick Foles with the franchise tag was a question on everyone's mind at the start of the NFL offseason. Apparently, they were wondering the same thing.
The Eagles considered tagging Foles to keep him away from division rivals in the Washington Redskins and New York Giants.
Jeff Lurie confirms what we and others had reported: the #Eagles considered tagging Nick Foles to stop him from going to the #Giants or #Redskins. So one of the reasons they decided not to tag him was it became clear he’d be headed to the #Jaguars.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 27, 2019
Foles was generating a lot of buzz heading into this offseason. He led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history in two seasons ago with a historic playoff run. Then he got them into the playoffs again this year with another late-season surge.
However, it was unlikely the Eagles would be able to keep him. The money he would command would make it difficult for them to rationalize holding onto both Foles and Carson Wentz.
The question seemed to be where Foles was going to land. If the Eagles let him walk in NFL free agency, he could go anywhere. If they franchise tagged him though, they could determine where he went via trade.
There was plenty of speculation that Philadelphia would tag Foles simply for that reason. They'd be able to keep him from division rivals like the Washington Redskins and New York Giants.
General manager Jeff Laurie has now confirmed they were considering slapping the franchise tag on him for just that reason. However, they didn't need to go through with it once it was obvious he was signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
This would've been an understandable move had the Eagles gone through with it. No matter what you're feelings are on Foles as a quarterback, no one wants their former quarterback jumping ship to a division rival.
That being said, one of the more significant stories here is the implication of possible tampering. How could the Eagles know Foles was going to the Jacksonville Jaguars that early? It's possible it was merely Foles telling them that was his preference, but this will certainly raise some eyebrows (and questions) around the league.
As of right now, the Giants still have Eli Manning at quarterback, and the Washington Redskins traded for Case Keenum. Both teams could make additions to the position at or around the draft as well though.
One thing is for certain, however, neither team will have Nick Foles at quarterback. The Eagles made sure of that.
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