They cheered for him, cherished him and loved him, but now, they are sad to know that number nine for the Philadelphia Eagles will not be returning for the 2019-20 football season.
At the end of the 2018-19 football season, Nick Foles was free from his contract with the Eagles and became a free agent. Shortly afterward, Foles signed a four-year contract to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars for $88 million. Many Eagles fans were heartbroken to see Foles leave Philadelphia.
“[I’m] sad. [I] miss him because I like everything that he [Foles] did. I liked the way he led the team,” Gillian Copestick, junior early childhood education major, said.
Copestick, like the majority of Eagle fans, likes Foles due to him playing as the quarterback for the Eagles during Super Bowl LII. Foles led the Eagles to victory against the New England Patriots, bringing home a Super Bowl win for the first time in Eagles’ history.
“He’ll be missed. He got us our first Super Bowl victory and that’s all we could ask of a quarterback,” Aidan Meagher, senior secondary education and history major, said.
Though upset to see Foles leave Philadelphia, many fans like Meagher were not surprised when he discovered that Foles would not return for the current football season.
“It makes sense why he [Foles] did it because Carson Wentz is probably more of a better long-term option, being that he is younger. I think picking between the two–which one would last longer–Nick Foles is older and more prone to being hurt, so you’re better off going with Carson Wentz,” Ahraya Travis, junior political science major, said.
Despite the love Eagles fans have for Foles, there is a debate about who is the better quarterback: Nick Foles or Carson Wentz? As Travis previously stated, Foles is older than Wentz and is more likely to get injured, but Foles did help the Eagles achieve their first Super Bowl victory. Wentz is younger than Foles, which gives him the advantage of recovering faster; however, Wentz lacks the experience that Foles has when playing football.
“I personally like Carson Wentz more as a quarterback. I respect the choice that he [Foles] made, but I much rather have Carson [Wentz] over Nick Foles,” Jake Goss, sophomore business management major, said.
In spite of this debate among Eagles fans, it has been reported by CBS Sports that Wentz reached out to Foles shortly after Foles was injured to offer his support to his former mentor. Foles fractured his clavicle and will require surgery in order to repair it.
“Broken clavicles usually take about 12 weeks to heal if rest is the recommendation, meaning that the physician has decided that it is not necessary to operate on. Unfortunately, when you break your collarbone once, it is more likely that it will be broken again. The necessity of surgery depends on the opinion of the surgeon, however, many factors go into this decision, including whether or not the bone is displaced and where the break is in the bone. If surgery is the recommendation, the waiting period will likely be eight weeks before he can begin contact sports. Throughout this time he will gradually regain strength in his hand, wrist, arm, and shoulder to be able to throw again. As of now, I believe the plan is for him to return to play at week 11,” Cabrini athletic trainer Rachel Flanders said.
According to CBS Sports, Foles fractured his collarbone while playing for the Eagles in 2014. Though Foles has a high chance of returning this football season, Wentz reached out to his friend and former teammate give his support, similar to what Foles did for Wentz when he was injured during the 2017-18 football season.
“Foles helped Wentz get through that tough time in his football career. Wentz is returning the favor to his good friend and veteran mentor,” Jeff Kerr wrote in his article for CBS Sports.
Eagles fans are happy to see the two former teammates still maintain a strong friendship, even though they are not on the same team anymore.
“I think it’s the right thing to do for Carson [Wentz] to reach out to Nick Foles because they were boys. Carson obviously owes Nick Foles gratitude for winning the Super Bowl,” Goss said.
At end of the Eagles football season last year, while cleaning out his locker, Foles expressed his gratitude towards his former teammates, Eagles fans and the city of Philadelphia. Though he is no longer playing for the Eagles, Foles has left his mark on Philadelphia, as well as the fans’ hearts.
