WESTFIELD – Nick Foles is in Chicago, but it seems his mind occasionally wanders elsewhere.
Like down I-65, to Indianapolis and a possible reunion with Frank Reich.
That possibility was broached Monday when the Chicago Bears’ No. 3 quarterback met with the media. It came after the Colts announced Carson Wentz would miss between 5-12 weeks following surgery on his left foot.
Remember, Foles, Wentz and Reich were together in Philadelphia in 2016-17, highlighted by the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII victory over the New England Patriots after the ’17 season. Foles took over when Wentz suffered a season-ending knee injury and was named Super Bowl MVP.
The mic’s yours, Nick.
“Listen, Frank Reich is one of my favorite, if not the favorite, coaches of all time,’’ Foles said. “He understands me as a player. He understands me as a person. But I haven’t had any talks with (the Colts). I’m a Chicago Bear right now.
“But he knows me. He understands me. You all watched the 2017 season and the playoffs where he changed the offense and built it around me and you saw what happened. He understands my mentality as a player, and he was able to build it around me and put me in a successful position, and my teammates.
“But that being said, they have Carson. Carson and I have a lot of history, and I have a lot of respect for Carson. He’s a tremendous player. He’s going through adversity once again, but he will bounce back. You know what? He might miss a few games, but I know he’ll be back out there.
“We haven’t had any talks. I’m still a Chicago Bear, and I’m going to keep slingin’ it with these third-stringers, and we’re going to dice ‘em up.’’
Foles is third on the Bears’ QB depth chart behind Andy Dalton and first-round draft pick Justin Fields.
The Colts have said they are giving Jacob Eason every opportunity to be the starting quarterback for the Sept. 12 opener against Seattle if Wentz still is in rehab mode. If Eason struggles during preseason games – that begins Aug. 15 against Carolina in Lucas Oil Stadium – it’s conceivable general manager Chris Ballard considers bringing in a veteran.
The Bears might cut Foles when rosters are trimmed to 53 but would assume $14 million in dead money. His $4 million base salaries for 2021-22 are guaranteed.
If the Colts wanted Foles and weren’t willing to wait, they would have to arrange a trade.
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You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.
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