Eagles QB Nick Foles on wanting a starting job, wearing a disguise in public
"I know my spot in Philly. I think I've shown what I can do."
Of course Nick Foles wants to be a starter again.
The reigning Super Bowl MVP confirmed what Eagles fans suspected during an interview with sportscaster Mike Barnes of KVUE in Austin, Texas.
"I know there was some stuff going around, a possible trade, and I would love the opportunity to be a starter again. I know my spot in Philly. I think I've shown what I can do." Foles said while sporting a Phillies cap. "I'm signed for one more year and I love the team, I love the city. I'm excited for Carson [Wentz] to get back on his feet. I'll be ready to go whenever they need me. But we'll see."
Howie Roseman, Eagles executive vice president, confirmed to my colleague Zach Berman last month that there was interest around the league for Foles, but that he wouldn't give away his prized quarterback without getting value in return.
"We know what we have. And that allows us the ability to feel very good about the most important position in sports," Roseman said during the NFL's annual meetings. "For us to get rid of something like that, that's going to be a high price tag."
Foles, who is scheduled to return to Eagles training camp Monday, opened up about a number of topics, including how his Christian faith helped him get through a particularly rough patch at the end of the season.
"I'm getting critiqued like crazy. My wife and I feel it. … I'm having to do press conferences and having to answer the questions that are tough … because I wasn't playing well the last couple of games," Foles said. "I was focused too much on previously just fitting in the offense and running the offense. Well, you get lost in that. You've got to let your talents shine and play and trust the guys you play with."
Foles also joked about being recognized more readily on the street because of his newfound fame, leading the Eagles quarterback to wear glasses in public to disguise himself.
"Though I'm doing an interview with them on, so I might be ruining my disguise now," Foles joked.
>> Watch the full 10-minute interview here.
So how did Barnes land his interview with the Super Bowl MVP? Foles grew up in Austin, watching Barnes on the local ABC affiliate. The longtime sportscaster began interviewing the future NFL quarterback during his playing days at Westlake High School. The two also worked together to support the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation, a nonprofit that supports therapy and research for individuals living with spinal cord injuries.
"I think the big thing with Philly is I have such a great relationship with all the personnel decision makers that if there ever does come a day where I am traded or something does happen, it's going to be an open conversation," Foles said. "We're excited to go back to Philly. … I don't know what my career holds from here on out."
Barnes didn't ask whether Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had congratulated Foles yet on his Super Bowl victory. "I haven't heard from him yet," Foles said in an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live! back in February. "I know he's busy. I know he's got a lot going on."
Foles has certainly kept busy this offseason, writing a memoir titled Believe It: My Journey of Success, Failure and Overcoming the Odds. The book is scheduled to be released June 26.