Quarterback Nick Foles, whose rise from backup to Super Bowl LII MVP was one of the great achievements in NFL history, said Thursday he'll retire as a member of the Eagles next month.
Foles could never replicate the success he had at the end of the 2017 season. The Bears tried, trading for Foles a year after he signed with the Jaguars as a free agent. Coronavirus protocols prevented Foles from working with his new teammates during the 2020 offseason, and he began the year as the backup.
He took over for Mitch Trubisky in the third quarter against the Falcons and led the Bears to a comeback victory to earn the starting spot. He struggled as a starter, going 2-5 in 2020. He spent 2021 as the Bears’ third-stringer; his lone start, a win, came in Seattle after Justin Fields hurt his ankle and Andy Dalton had both a groin injury and the coronavirus.
The Bears cut Foles after the 2022 after failing to find a taker for his contract.
He’ll be forever known as the hero of Super Bowl LII, where he went 28-for-43 for 373 yards and three touchdowns. He caught one, too, on “Philly Special,” a trick play borrowed from the Bears, who’d run it successfully against the Vikings a year earlier. They called it "Clemson Special.”
