Nick Foles has been benched in favor of rookie Gardner Minshew for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, but that does not mean the Jacksonville Jaguars are giving up on their big free agent acquisition.
Foles signed a four-year, $88 million contract with the Jaguars last offseason that included $50 million guaranteed. There’s no easy way to cut ties with a player after giving him that much money, and two NFL executives told Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman that they believe Marrone could be fired as a result of Foles’ struggles.
The execs feel it is “highly likely” that the Jaguars give Foles another shot next season, but it may be with a new coaching staff in place. Foles obviously enjoyed great success with the Philadelphia Eagles, yet Jacksonville has not won a game since he returned from a collarbone injury and he has thrown two touchdowns compared to two interceptions in three starts since coming back.
The Jaguars could be making major changes this offseason, as it is not a guarantee that executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin will be back in 2020. Even if Gardner Minshew has played better than Foles, trading Foles after just giving him a massive contract would be no easy task. You can’t blame Jacksonville’s brass for not wanting to give up on him after a handful of games.
Marrone is clearly on the hot seat with the Jaguars sporting a 4-8 record. There was talk that he could lose his job two years ago before the team rode its dominant defense to the AFC Championship Game, but it has been all downhill since. Marrone has had some highly publicized issues with star players over the past year or two, and it’s possible the Jaguars will want to introduce a new voice to the locker room next season.
