Michael Irvin Just Delivered a Crazy Take on How Nick Foles Can Become a Hall of Famer
Nick Foles has had quite an interesting path through the NFL that has been a roller coaster ride. Foles has reached the mountaintop of success while faltering nearly out of the league. Despite all that, former Dallas Cowboys great Michael Irvin believes the former Super Bowl MVP can make a case for the Hall of Fame with the Chicago Bears.
Nick Foles’ wild NFL journey
Nick Foles‘ NFL career has featured plenty of ups and downs throughout that have shifted in both directions.
Foles had an opportunity to cement a long-term future with the Philadelphia Eagles, but that fell apart after three seasons. A failed one-year stint with the then-St-Louis Rams followed, leading to his backup role with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016.
Foles nearly retirement after that season, but returned for a backup position with the Eagles. Carson Wentz suffered a devastating knee injury that resulted in him getting the chance to lead the franchise to success. Foles took advantage of the situation that saw him orchestrate an impressive playoff run to a Super Bowl 52 win over the New England Patriots.
He resumed his backup spot in 2018, but another Wentz injury threw him back into the starting job. Foles pushed the Eagles to the playoffs but fell short. The following offseason, he signed a four-year, $88 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars in March 2019. That pairing quickly went south as he broke his collarbone in the season opener and lost the starting job to Gardner Minshew.
Foles’ career took another sudden turn last offseason after a trade to the Chicago Bears, where he has a chance to add to his career.
Michael Irvin envisions path for Nick Foles’ Hall of Fame case
It has been quite the NFL journey for Nick Foles over the last eight-plus years.
Foles experienced the highest of highs with the Super Bowl win and fell out of grace from being considered a starting quarterback. With the Bears giving him another shot at stardom, former Cowboys great Michael Irvin recently laid out how he believes the 31-year-old can make a strong case for the Hall of Fame.
“All I can think about is, wait a minute… if Nick Foles does this again, what he did in Philly when he took over for a good football team in Week 15, he went 5-1, they won the Super Bowl and he won Super Bowl MVP. Now Nick Foes takes over in Chicago, if he does this again, I was thinking to myself, wow, if he wins it he’s up there with Peyton Manning. But even if he gets his team to the Super Bowl, he’s up there with Kurt Warner.
Irvin continued: “That’s Kurt Warner and Peyton Manning. Does he get a chance to get a gold jacket like you guys too, if he does this?”
Irvin’s argument brings an interesting debate around the veteran quarterback if things reached that point. In that scenario, Foles would have a pair of Super Bowl wins and Super Bowl MVP awards. That alone would at least put him in the conversation for the Hall of Fame.
What could hurt his chances is the lack of longevity of success. Yes, there may be the comparisons to Kurt Warner, who had a significant drop off before his final run with the Arizona Cardinals, but it’s quite a different matter. Warner worked his way toward being an MVP-caliber player while producing at a historic pace with then-St. Louis Rams.
Ultimately, Foles’ career is still an open book that has placed his legacy in his hands with the Bears.
Next chapter with the Bears
It didn’t take long for the Bears to move off Mitchell Trubisky and hand the keys of the franchise over to Nick Foles in the 2020 season.
The former Super Bowl MVP has the opportunity to establish a long-term home in Chicago. Foles had a strong showing in the impressive comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons but struggled in his first start against the Indianapolis Colts.
He has the chance to get back on track on Thursday night in Week 5 action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bears are off to a solid start, and if Foles can be a difference-maker under center, it could present an opportunity to work his playoff magic.
It’s a situation entirely in his hands to add another chapter to his career that could prove Michael Irvin right.
