A Vikings Nemesis Is Available in Free Agency
Josh Frey
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In 2017, following their Minneapolis Miracle victory over the New Orleans Saints, all signs seemed to point to the Minnesota Vikings finally breaking their curse of never winning a Super Bowl and making their first ‘Big Game’ since 1976.
The only team standing between the Vikings and their first Super Bowl berth in 41 years was the Philadelphia Eagles, captained by backup QB Nick Foles. Well, Foles and those Eagles not only halted any hopes of the Vikings playing a Super Bowl in their home stadium, but Foles absolutely torched their defense, completing 26/33 passes for 352 yards and 3 TDs, en route to a 38-7 shellacking.
Two weeks later, the latest Vikings nemesis would lead those Eagles to an improbable Super Bowl victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, beating them 41-33. It was just the eighth time a team had scored 40+ points in a Super Bowl. Along the way, Foles was once again extremely clutch, passing for 373 yards and 3 more TDs while also catching a 1-yard touchdown pass on a play that has been dubbed as the ‘Philly Special’.
Now five years after that Super Bowl victory, Foles is available on the free agency market. After drafting Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts recently cut Foles from the roster, allowing him to sign elsewhere for this season.
This is not necessarily a new situation for the journeyman QB. Despite some playoff heroics with the Eagles, not only in 2017, but also the following year in 2018 where he very nearly led the Eagles back to an NFC Championship Game after defeating the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card and narrowly losing to the No. 1 seeded New Orleans Saints in the Divisional, Foles has bounced around the league quite a bit.
The QB actually began his career with the Eagles in 2012 after being drafted in the third round that spring. He started six games in replacement of an injured Michael Vick during that rookie season and completed 60.8% of his passes for 1699 yards, 6 TDs, and 5 INTs. The Eagles went 1-5 during this stretch of games.
Then, 2013 saw Foles’ first strike of lightning as he again stepped into the starting lineup for an injured Vick. He started 10 games during that season and played well enough to earn a Pro Bowl selection, completing 64% of his passes for 2891 yards, 27 TDs, and just 2 INTs. This time around, the Eagles went 8-2 in Foles’ starts and earned a playoff berth, losing to the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round.
Over the next few years, Foles remained productive, but he could not find the same magic as he did in 2013. He lost his starting job to Mark Sanchez down the stretch of the 2014 season before going to the St. Louis Rams in 2015, starting 11 games but only passing for 2052 yards, 7 TDs, and 10 INTs.
Following a 2016 season with the Kansas City Chiefs behind Alex Smith, Foles made his return to Philadelphia in 2017 where he went on his miracle Super Bowl run with the Eagles. After 2018’s heartbreaking finish, Foles went to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019 before stints with the Chicago Bears (2020-21) and Indianapolis Colts (2022).
Foles is entering his age-34 season in 2023. To this point in his career, the veteran QB has appeared in 71 games (including 58 starts), passing for 14227 yards, 82 TDs, and 47 INTs.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.