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Multiple ways to get there, but one logical end for Nick Foles, Rams
By Nick Wagoner
[espn.go.com]
OXNARD, Calif. -- The news that quarterback Nick Foles is not attending the Los Angeles Rams' organized team activities and hasn't been around since the team drafted quarterback Jared Goff at No. 1 overall didn't come as much of a surprise. For Foles and the Rams, the writing has been on the wall for much longer.
For now, the Rams and Foles are fine with the arrangement they have in place in which Foles stays home and the team moves through the rest of its offseason program with the trio of Goff, Case Keenum and Sean Mannion at quarterback.
Rams coach Jeff Fisher made that clear when discussing the situation on Wednesday.
"I’ve had conversations with Nick and we’re on the same page and we’re trying to work things out," Fisher said. "That’s pretty much all I can say. These are voluntary. We have three quarterbacks on the field right now and it’s hard enough to get reps for all three of them, so we’re in the process of sorting things out with Nick. It has nothing to do with him not wanting to come in and compete, at all. He’s very, very competitive. We appreciate everything he did for us and his leadership and his teammates miss him, but I don’t have any more information other than we are just trying to work things out."
Working things out with Foles could travel a couple of different paths.
The one the Rams would prefer is trading him. They attempted to do so most of the offseason, especially around the draft, but couldn't find a taker as a whopping 15 quarterbacks were selected. With that many quarterbacks off the board, the number of teams looking for help at the position dwindled and those willing to give up a pick were nonexistent.
The other remaining option is cutting Foles, something that the Rams are prepared to do if a market for Foles doesn't develop. The Rams have already paid Foles' $6 million roster bonus, leaving just a base salary of $1.75 million that the team would save by an outright release.
But at this time of year, the Rams don't yet see the need to just part ways with Foles. While injuries are bound to happen across the league that could create a trade fit for Foles, the same is true of the Rams right now. So if the Rams had an injury, Foles still offers some insurance and because they've already paid that bonus, cutting him right now wouldn't do them any good from a financial standpoint.
Barring any of those unfortunate injury instances, though, the reality remains that Foles is still unlikely to be a Ram in 2016. Fisher even acknowledged that Foles views it that way in a recent conversation.
"We talked again and I think Nick has the feeling that if things stay the same, he’s probably not going to be on the roster," Fisher said. "But beyond that, it was more of a mutual thing. Not that we said don’t come, it was just, ‘Hey coach, I’d just rather stay away until we get things worked out.’ I said I’m fine with that."
In the meantime, the Rams will continue to ramp up the reps for Goff and get Keenum and Mannion plenty of work as well. And while other, more high-profile quarterback absences (looking at you, Philadelphia and the Jets) have or continue to create distractions, the Rams clearly don't view Foles' situation in the same way.
"We’d definitely love to have Nick out here, but he made a decision," running back Todd Gurley said. "Hopefully he’ll be back sometime soon. I gave him a text a couple of weeks ago just to check up on him. Hopefully he’ll be back. I still love Nick."
By Nick Wagoner
[espn.go.com]
OXNARD, Calif. -- The news that quarterback Nick Foles is not attending the Los Angeles Rams' organized team activities and hasn't been around since the team drafted quarterback Jared Goff at No. 1 overall didn't come as much of a surprise. For Foles and the Rams, the writing has been on the wall for much longer.
For now, the Rams and Foles are fine with the arrangement they have in place in which Foles stays home and the team moves through the rest of its offseason program with the trio of Goff, Case Keenum and Sean Mannion at quarterback.
Rams coach Jeff Fisher made that clear when discussing the situation on Wednesday.
"I’ve had conversations with Nick and we’re on the same page and we’re trying to work things out," Fisher said. "That’s pretty much all I can say. These are voluntary. We have three quarterbacks on the field right now and it’s hard enough to get reps for all three of them, so we’re in the process of sorting things out with Nick. It has nothing to do with him not wanting to come in and compete, at all. He’s very, very competitive. We appreciate everything he did for us and his leadership and his teammates miss him, but I don’t have any more information other than we are just trying to work things out."
Working things out with Foles could travel a couple of different paths.
The one the Rams would prefer is trading him. They attempted to do so most of the offseason, especially around the draft, but couldn't find a taker as a whopping 15 quarterbacks were selected. With that many quarterbacks off the board, the number of teams looking for help at the position dwindled and those willing to give up a pick were nonexistent.
The other remaining option is cutting Foles, something that the Rams are prepared to do if a market for Foles doesn't develop. The Rams have already paid Foles' $6 million roster bonus, leaving just a base salary of $1.75 million that the team would save by an outright release.
But at this time of year, the Rams don't yet see the need to just part ways with Foles. While injuries are bound to happen across the league that could create a trade fit for Foles, the same is true of the Rams right now. So if the Rams had an injury, Foles still offers some insurance and because they've already paid that bonus, cutting him right now wouldn't do them any good from a financial standpoint.
Barring any of those unfortunate injury instances, though, the reality remains that Foles is still unlikely to be a Ram in 2016. Fisher even acknowledged that Foles views it that way in a recent conversation.
"We talked again and I think Nick has the feeling that if things stay the same, he’s probably not going to be on the roster," Fisher said. "But beyond that, it was more of a mutual thing. Not that we said don’t come, it was just, ‘Hey coach, I’d just rather stay away until we get things worked out.’ I said I’m fine with that."
In the meantime, the Rams will continue to ramp up the reps for Goff and get Keenum and Mannion plenty of work as well. And while other, more high-profile quarterback absences (looking at you, Philadelphia and the Jets) have or continue to create distractions, the Rams clearly don't view Foles' situation in the same way.
"We’d definitely love to have Nick out here, but he made a decision," running back Todd Gurley said. "Hopefully he’ll be back sometime soon. I gave him a text a couple of weeks ago just to check up on him. Hopefully he’ll be back. I still love Nick."
