Nick Foles hears the rumors. He reads the headlines. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is aware that his future is less than guaranteed with the team as rumors of a Marcus Mariota draft trade continue to surface. However, right now Foles is still a member of the Eagles and the top quarterback on the roster and he intends to stick with that mindset regardless of whatever the media reports heading into free agency.
Foles' future in Philadelphia is shaky regardless of the status of Mariota. The quarterback is entering the final year of his contract with the team and the Eagles have yet to begin any type of contract negotiations. With Michael Vick heading to free agency, Foles and Matt Barkley are left to take over the quarterback rotation for the short-term, but Philadelphia might not view them as long-term solutions. Foles is not thinking about that or the idea of Mariota coming on board.
"My expectation is to be out there and be the starting guy," Foles said, via CSNPhilly.com. "I expect to be out there with my teammates leading them. I've never thought otherwise throughout this whole time. I know there's been a lot of things said, but the only thing I'm worried about is making myself the best player, the best person to help lead my team. I'm not really worried about the contract. I want to be back out there, in Philadelphia, leading the Eagles, being with my teammates, doing what I've been doing, just getting back to playing some good football and winning. We were playing well and we've really just got to finish stronger."
In 2014 under Foles, the Eagles were 6-2 and leading their division. However, a season-ending injury had the Eagles finish 10-6 while just missing the playoffs making all of the quarterback's work completely forgotten. Now, most NFL draft experts believe the Eagles are preparing for a major draft day trade that will see the team jump up from No. 20 in order to grab former Oregon star Mariota to reunite with Chip Kelly.
Right now, trade interest in Foles appears to be quiet. There have been reports the St. Louis Rams might make a call, but everything is pure speculation at the moment. Foles is the Eagles starting quarterback right now and even if Mariota gets drafted by the team, he could stay that way. There are no guarantees that the rookie quarterback can start right away. Keeping Foles allows the team to have a backup plan to allow Mariota to develop for a season.
