The Philadelphia Eagles are getting ready to be forced into making a decision regarding Nick Foles and his future as the team's starting quarterback. That decision will officially be in the hands of head coach Chip Kelly who is taking over football-related decisions, a duty stripped from general manager Howie Roseman. Kelly will not make the decisions regarding who stays and who goes in free agency along with evaluations of draft picks. Foles is due a contract extension in the next season, but will Kelly opt to go in a different direction instead?
The Eagles have a lot of confidence in Kelly and his ability to put the right players on the field in the future. Owner Jeff Lurie made it clear that Kelly has the right ideas for Philadelphia and the team was going all in on the head coach. Kelly's power will first be seen in the NFL Draft and then in free agency as plenty of players are seeing their futures come under question.
"I am very confident about where we are headed as a team and as an organization," Kelly said, via Philly.com "I look forward to continue working with Jeffrey and Howie as well as the personnel department."
Foles is the first player up for review as he enters the final year of his contract. The quarterback missed the second-half of the season to injury and was replaced by Mark Sanchez who promptly caused the Eagles to fall out of playoff contention. Kelly is not making commitments to anyone, especially Foles heading into the offseason which leads many to believe he could jump in a different direction.
The biggest cause for speculation is Marcus Mariota. Kelly and Mariota have positive history together and many NFL sources believe that Kelly could possibly make a record jump in the draft and grab the Oregon product for the future. This is of course highly unlikely given the amount the Eagles would have to give up to get Mariota, but nothing can be ruled out.
The Eagles also have to try and get Jeremy Maclin signed to a new contract. Kelly has been adamant that both he and LeSean McCoy return in 2015. However, Maclin will be expecting a large pay raise and McCoy would need to restructure. Kelly's new job responsibilities certainly start in a year where there is a lot at stake in the offseason.
