Courtesy of the Philadelphia Eagles/NFL
On Aug. 8, 2024, Nick Foles announced his official retirement from the NFL. Foles played for six teams in 11 seasons, including the Philadelphia Eagles where he led them to their first (and only) Super Bowl title against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. He replaced an injured Carson Wentz in 2018 to be QB1 and was their driving force to receiving the coveted Lombardi trophy.
During Super Bowl LII, Foles was named the MVP after scoring three touchdowns. One of those touchdowns would go down to be one of most iconic plays in modern Super Bowl history: the Philly Special. Those scores would be a whopping half of the total points for the night as the Eagles topped the Patriots 41-33.
Courtesy of Anthony Behar/Sipa USA
Foles, in collaboration with the Eagles and the NFL, posted a rather emotional post to social media to release the news. The video featured the quarterback seated in front of the camera delivering the verbal statement. He cited all six of the teams he played for but, of course, acknowledged the City of Brotherly Love and the fans that live there. “To the fans of the NFL around the world, thank you for making the game so special,” he started. “Specifically, thank you to the Philadelphia Eagles fans…You truly made playing in Philadelphia the most special experience in my football career.”
Fans of the Eagles and Foles alike are already speculating or calling for his jersey to be retired at Lincoln Financial Field. It is a fair ask, given that Foles was the guy that helped end a decades long drought. NFL fans from all over the league would agree that Super Bowl LII was a great matchup with a better result: David beating Goliath.
The final appearance that the quarterback made in the NFL was back in January 2023 as the starter for the Indianapolis Colts. His time there was sadly cut short, but he stayed faithful to his team when he was able. Foles suffered a rib injury after a hard sack during the Colts’ loss to the New York Giants, keeping him from returning to the game. At that time, the team was mathematically eliminated from the playoffs so that was the team’s penultimate game of the season. Foles was deemed out for the following game, ending his 2023 season.
Courtesy of the Indianapolis Colts
It is no secret that Nick Foles will be one of the greater names in football. For career stats, he scored 88 touchdowns in the air and on foot. He threw 1,302 completions for 14,227 yards. He rushed over 400 yards, losing over four running fumbles in 11 seasons.
Leaving his name out of the top quarterback conversations is more than a travesty. Only two other guys can say that they have scored at least 25 passing TDs and only two interceptions: Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers (Foles was first to do it).
He is also the first player in Super Bowl history with a passing and receiving touchdown and has the most passing yards in a single game in Eagles history (471). Numbers like these are enough to secure “GOAT” status and will surely earn Foles a spot in the NFL Hall of Fame once he is deemed eligible by the league.
Until then, he is excited to be a full time husband and father. He is ready to “get to be there each and every day” and help with mundane parent things like homework, tantrums and coaching whatever sports that his kids choose to take up.
The NFL confirmed that Foles will be returning to Philadelphia and retiring as an Eagle. Fans will be able to partake in this celebration on Sept. 16 when the Eagles play the Atlanta Falcons in their first home game of the season. It is expected that the crowds will come in droves to be able to send their only Super Bowl winning quarterback home in true Eagles fashion.
Edited by Breanna Ebisch
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