The Los Angeles Rams put an end to the Nick Foles era on Wednesday, releasing the quarterback after one season.
Foles, who the Rams acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason, had requested his release, unhappy that the team used its No. 1 overall pick this year to select quarterback Jared Goff.
The Rams had hoped to get the 2013 version of Foles when they traded for him, the Pro Bowl quarterback who threw 27 touchdowns to only two interceptions and led the NFL with a passer rating of 119.2. Instead, he played terrible in a Rams uniform and lost the starting job after 11 games.
Nick Foles ranks in 2015 out of 35 qualified QB:
Comp pct – 33rd
Yds per att – 34th
TD/Int – 34th
Total QBR – Last https://t.co/w3paEeOlEv— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 27, 2016
At the time, it was a good idea to bring Foles in and try to restore him to his 2013 self, but his first season with the Rams showed no signs of him improving.
Rather than sticking with Foles for one more season, the Rams chose to start over at the quarterback position in the midst of the team moving to Los Angeles. It was a big risk, but one they had to take.
With Foles out of the picture, the Rams avoid any distraction. Goff is the quarterback going forward. He may not be the starter Week 1, but the Rams didn’t trade all those picks to have him sit on the bench. Make no mistake about it, he’s going to play sooner rather than later.
Goff is no stranger to starting right out the gate. In college, he became the first true freshman quarterback in Cal history to start a season opener. That same year he set multiple school passing records.
There’s sure to be some growing pains along the way for Goff. After all, he’s only 21 years old and taking over a team that went 7-9 last season. Not to mention he’s playing under the bright lights of Hollywood. But this was the right move by the team, moving on from Foles and going with the next big thing.
