Eagles Just Enjoying the Moment When it Comes to QBs
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (973espn.com) - Nick Foles just matched perhaps the greatest quarterback in NFL history bullet for bullet in Super Bowl LII on Sunday night but don't kid yourself, the Philadelphia Eagles don't have a quarterback controversy.
The haze of the franchise's first Super Bowl title in 52 years hasn't obstructed the realization that Carson Wentz is still the Eagles' franchise quarterback moving forward.
The last question at Monday morning's presser at the Mall of America after his team's thrilling 41-33 win over the New England Patriots was if anything has changed after Foles picked up the baton and dominated the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game before one-upping that and playing superlatively en route to earning the Super Bowl LII MVP Award.
Pederson didn't exactly want to dampen Foles' moment so the coach tap danced a little bit.
"I knew I couldn't get off the stage without answering that," Pederson joked. "You know what, we're just going to enjoy this moment right now. We're going to enjoy it, get on a plane, go back to Philadelphia. We're going to celebrate with our fans back in Philly."
It's hard to imagine even Wentz, who was on his way to the regular season MVP award before going down to a torn ACL and LCL in Week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams, matching what Foles was able to do against the Vikings and Pats.
But this is about the next 10 years not two weeks even if those 14 days were the greatest in franchise history.
That's the difficult part of the NFL. As soon as one season ends, you're on the clock, preparing for the next one even if the Lombardi Trophy is on its way to the Novacare Complex.
In fact, one of the unintended consequences of being so good in any season is that you're actually behind when it comes to starting prep for the combine, free agency and the draft.
Earlier in the week leading up to the game, Pederson was asked by a Boston-area radio reporter if he ever thought about building something like what has endured in Foxborough, essentially a dynasty.
Surprisingly the coach didn't go the demure route as you might expect and acknowledged he does think about it but when he's visualizing, it's Wentz obviously.
“Even in some of the quiet moments I try to envision that, in this league, if you have a quarterback, and you do things right and surround him with talented players and coaches, yeah, you can have a long career in this business and have the success those two gentlemen (Brady and Belichick) have had,” Pederson said last Thursday.
Fast forward to Sunday and Pederson said he had a chance to speak with Wentz shortly after the confetti fell, while the Eagles were still celebrating on the field.
"He's a great quarterback and he's a big reason why this team won this championship, won this game," Pederson said. "I told him that hopefully, we'll be back in this game with him leading the way."
For 2018 it's possible Roseman could keep the band together because Foles has no issue playing second fiddle to Wentz, no one values the QB2 position more than the Eagles (especially after Sunday's result), and it's still cost effective with Wentz still on his rookie deal.
Foles, meanwhile, is under contract as well after signing a glorified five-year deal that was essentially a two-year contract with a series of team options that will be untenable come 2019.
The sticky part comes with Foles' value, which will never be greater than right now, coupled with the fact Roseman needs to stockpile draft picks so there is little doubt the Eagles will be listening to offers.
Since that's the case there is the opportunity Philadelphia will be bowled over in a QB-deficient league and send the most popular guy in town elsewhere.
"I'm not really worried about my future right now," Foles said. "I'm grateful to be a part of the Philadelphia Eagles. I said when I signed with the Eagles, I'm grateful and content with this moment. I'm staying in the moment. I'm not worrying about my future now. There will be a time and a place to handle all that."
-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen