Chiefs rumors: Nick Foles likely to hit free agency

The Kansas City Chiefs are reportedly going to move on from quarterback Nick Foles, an expected move given the sizeable amount of money he was scheduled to make in 2017.

The Kansas City Chiefs will be searching for a new quarterback for 2017, at least in a back-up role, with the report that veteran Nick Foles will likely be released by the team before the new league year, per Mike Garafolo.

Foles signed a surprising one-year deal with the Chiefs before the 2017 season when it was clear that John Dorsey wasn’t comfortable rolling with unproven youngsters behind Alex Smith. Tyler Bray, Kevin Hogan and even Aaron Murray were all competing for the coveted back-up role but none failed to grab the reins, so to speak, and only Bray remains on the roster in any capacity.

Foles originally signed with an option for 2017 that comes with a $10M+ cap hit, which sent signals immediately that Foles was simply a one-year stop gap.

If Foles were to somehow remain with the Chiefs, it would only be after returning from exploring his options in free agency — a real possibility if a starting spot fails to open up for him. Several teams are always hungry for a new quarterback, but trying to sell Nick Foles as your starter to a fan base is not a welcome option for any general manager this offseason.

However, Foles would be a good bet to land somewhere as a veteran wingman for a rookie, much like former Chiefs back-up Chase Daniel became last season for the Philadelphia Eagles. Daniel signed on before the team drafted Carson Wentz, and it’s easy to see another team angling for Foles in much the same way.

Foles maintains an impressive career record of 20-16 as a starter with 56 career touchdowns compared to only 27 interceptions. Given the lack of even average starters, and the fact that Foles just now turned 28-years-old, it seems likely that he will be given at least one more significant chance to earn starter’s reps in the NFL.