Saying this has been a surprising journey for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles is a massive understatement. In the span of just three years, he went from one of the greatest individual seasons in league history to NFL castoff.

Foles was traded to the St. Louis Rams after failing to build on his dynamic 2013 season in Philly. He largely floundered with the Rams until his release prior to the 2016 NFL season. Per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk, he even contemplated walking away from football before regaining his passion with Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs:

“In my heart at that time, I was probably going to step away from the game,” Foles said Tuesday. “But I also knew that being in that situation that I had to take a few days just to let all of the emotions settle.”

Foles added that the most daunting aspect of his struggles had nothing to do with losing two starting roles in the span of three seasons.

Article Continues Below

“It had nothing to do with starting,” Foles said. “I really had to go with my heart in that situation. Getting the opportunity to step away, I went on a fly fishing/camping trip with my brother-in-law, Ryan, and coming back and just asking my wife Tori about it, I still didn’t have a clear decision about what I wanted to do.

“But that’s when I really prayed and really asked God for guidance. There wasn’t a sure path. I really just took a step on faith. I knew that I’d have more growth as a person going back to the game.”

Foles was traded to St. Louis after a lackluster year following the 2013 season in which he threw for 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Ironically, it was Minnesota Vikings quarterback Case Keenum who took the starting job away from him. After the team relocated to Los Angeles, they traded up in the 2016 NFL Drat to take quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall pick, forcing Foles' release.

At that point, he questioned whether or not a brief hiatus would be his best option. Fortunately, Foles linked up with his former head coach in Reid in Kansas City, and the rest is history.

He now has a chance to write the ultimate comeback story with a win against the heavily-favored New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.