Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) walks past coach Andy Reid in the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Monday, Nov. 26, 2012, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs will have a new quarterback in camp when they return to training camp practice today. The team has agreed to terms with free agent Nick Foles.
Foles will earn $1.75 million in 2016 plus incentives, according to multiple media reports. The team has an option for the 2017season worth between $6.75 million to $16 million based on his 2016 performance.
“It’s rare this time of year to have an opportunity to add an established veteran player to your roster, especially at the quarterback position” Chiefs general manager John Dorsey said in statement. “Nick has proven he can play at a high level in this league. He’s smart, competitive, and experienced with Coach Reid and his system. He’ll be able to add insight and knowledge to a talented group of quarterbacks currently in our room.”
To clear roster space for Foles, the Chiefs released defensive tackle Ta’amu Alameda.
The signing reunites Foles with Andy Reid, the coach who drafted him in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft from the University of Arizona. Foles started six games as a rookie under Reid. He completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 1,699 yards and six touchdowns along with five interceptions.
Reid was dismissed from the Eagles following the 2012 season and moved to Kansas City. Foles posted a stellar sophomore campaign under head coach Chip Kelly, starting 10 games and throwing for 2,891 yards. More impressive were his quarterback rating of 119.2 and 27 touchdowns with only two interceptions.
Foles is coming off a messy departure from the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams acquired Foles from the Eagles via a trade that sent quarterback Sam Bradford to Philadelphia. He started 11 games last season for the Rams but was benched at one point for Case Keenum.
In April the Rams acquired the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, which they used to select California quarterback Jared Goff. The move prompted Foles to skip the team’s offseason workout program and voluntary minicamp. He requested his release, which the Rams granted July 27.
The Chiefs had $526,795 available in salary cap space available Thursday afternoon, according to the NFL Players Association website. The team has $142,210 available as of Friday morning. The Chiefs have not announced any restructured contracts that allowed the team to fit Foles and his contract under cap.
For now the Chiefs appear ready to practice with five quarterbacks. Veterans Tyler Bray and Aaron Murray have been sharing snaps with the second team offense so far in camp in their battle to be the primary backup to Alex Smith. The Chiefs also have sixth-round draft pick Kevin Hogan from Stanford under contract.
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Matt Derrick is the associate editor for ChiefsDigest.com. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @MattDerrick.
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