if there was some for us, was heading into free agency

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nick Foles is in a unique situation Shareef Miller Jersey , a Super Bowl MVP trying to lead his team to a second straight championship knowing he will most likely play somewhere else next season.Nothing about what Foles has done for the Philadelphia Eagles is ordinary.“I’m not worried about the future but I understand where I stand and every time I wear that jersey is special,” Foles said Wednesday. “We get one more week together, at least.”The Eagles (10-7) face the New Orleans Saints (13-3) in a NFC divisional playoff game on Sunday thanks to Foles’ heroics in the clutch again.He filled in when Carson Wentz sustained a knee injury in 2017 and led the Eagles to their first NFL title since 1960, going 5-0 in games that he started and finished.Foles returned to the starting lineup after a back injury sidelined Wentz last month and has led the Eagles to four straight wins, including a 16-15 comeback victory at Chicago in the wild-card round. Facing the NFL’s stingiest defense, Foles tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate on fourth down with 56 seconds remaining.But no matter how far Foles can take the Eagles, it probably won’t change his standing on the team. Wentz is the franchise quarterback. He finished third in NFL MVP voting in his second season as a pro. He returned quickly after surgery to repair two torn knee ligaments, started 11 games and posted career highs in completion rate (69.6 percent) and passer rating (102.2) despite battling inconsistency and injury.“He’s the guy we drafted and moving forward, he’s our quarterback,” coach Doug Pederson said, repeating the same thought several times.The Eagles must decide by mid-February if they want to exercise a $20 million option to keep Foles for 2019. That’s a big price to pay a backup, though Wentz is scheduled to make a base salary of $720,000 next season with a salary cap total of about $8.5 million.If the team declines the option Zach Brown Jersey , Foles becomes a free agent. If the option is picked up, Foles has five days to choose whether to accept it or void it and pay back a $2 million signing bonus. Philadelphia could elect to exercise the option and trade Foles. His salary would become fully guaranteed on March 18, the fifth day of the league year.Wentz is under team control through 2020 and the Eagles could offer him a new long-term deal now before his asking price skyrockets.Although it’s not a debate within the organization, Foles vs. Wentz has dominated conversation among fans and sports talkers.Foles has already won a Super Bowl and he’s 25-12 as a starter in Philadelphia, going back to his first stint with the team from 2012-14. He has the highest winning percentage (.676) in franchise history.While outsiders argue the merits of both, it has not been uncomfortable for two talented quarterbacks who are close friends and share a special bond.“Both guys are brothers in Christ first and foremost so that’s a big part of their relationship,” Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz said.“They understand that football is not the most important thing to them so they relate extremely well in many other things. They’re extremely happy for the other guy’s success.“You don’t find that everywhere. You don’t find that very often on the same team let alone the same position, but that is what’s different about this team. Guys truly care about one another and are happy for the other man’s success.” Jimmy Garoppolo could have waited and cashed in even more than he did after other quarterbacks re-set the market.

The San Francisco 49ers could have used a franchise tag instead of making a long-term commitment to make sure Garoppolo was worth a hefty investment after only seven NFL starts.

But both sides wanted this resolved quickly, and did so with a contract that will pay Garoppolo a record $27.5 million per season over the next five years.

”This is where I want to be, honestly,” Garoppolo said at a news conference Friday. ”I wanted to get this deal done as fast as possible. It will only help our team going forward going into free agency. … I wanted to be here. I was excited to be here. I’m happy we got it done as fast as we did.”

Garoppolo’s $137.5 million contract has the richest annual value in NFL history, topping the deal Detroit’s Matthew Stafford signed last year by $500,000 a season.

The deal includes nearly $49 million that is full guaranteed Devin Bush Jersey , more than $74 million guaranteed for injury and more than $86 million that will be paid out over the first three seasons.

The franchise tag could have been a safer option for both sides, leading to more money for Garoppolo if he kept playing at the high level he showed this past season and more protection for the 49ers if he didn’t reach that level.

But neither side was eager to go that direction.

”We became convinced we had that as an option, but we didn’t want to use it,” general manager John Lynch said. ”We wanted to make Jimmy a 49er for a long, long time. Do you have to have some faith for that? Absolutely. But he earned that faith we had for him. I know it wasn’t a super long time but we felt we had a really good grasp on the talent and that was only confirmed when he got here.”

San Francisco acquired Garoppolo from New England before the trade deadline for a 2018 second-round pick. As soon as he took the field a few weeks later, he immediately turned around a franchise that started the year with a 1-10 record.

Garoppolo took over as starter and led San Francisco to five straight wins to end the season. He completed 67.4 percent of his passes this season, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt with seven TDs, five interceptions and a 96.2 rating.

Among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts last season, Garoppolo ranked first in yards per attempt, fourth in completion percentage. His 308.4 yards passing per game in his five starts also would have led the league had he played a full season.

Now he will have a full offseason to completely learn coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense, which could lead to even more production.

”Now the rush isn’t quite the same,” Shanahan said. ”He can start from the beginning and start from the first page and not the 50th page. He can get a better foundation. When you have a better foundation of where you’re coming from and learning, it gives you a chance to play at a higher level.”

Garoppolo has won all seven starts in his career Diontae Johnson Jersey , including two in New England to start the 2016 season when Brady was suspended for his role in ”Deflategate.” Only four other quarterbacks since the 1970 merger won their first seven starts, with Ben Roethlisberger the most recent to do it with 15 wins in a row in the regular season for Pittsburgh in 2004-05. Garoppolo’s 2,038 yards passing in his first seven starts are the fourth most among all quarterbacks since 1970.

The deal still leaves the 49er with more than $60 million in salary cap room, according to executive vice president Paraag Marathe, with several more holes to fill. The most glaring needs are upgrading the skill position players and interior of the offensive line, and finding a big-time pass rusher and cornerbacks to help the defense.

Lynch said he plans to be ”aggressively prudent” with that money but believes this deal will help sell the organization to potential free agents, including some who played for San Francisco this past year.

”One of the reasons for the urgency, if there was some for us, was heading into free agency this is a big deal,” Lynch said. ”It’s 75 degrees and sunny outside. We have this guy. Who wouldn’t want to be here? We want to become a destination where everyone wants to be.”

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