PALM BEACH, Fla. — New Bears general manager Ryan Poles wants to give quarterback Nick Foles his wish: a ticket out of Chicago.
Poles said flatly Monday that free agent signee Trevor Siemian will be Justin Fields’ backup and that he intends to trade Foles.
“Nothing has popped up right now, but we’re working on it,” Poles said. “Hopefully something pops up.”
Foles has been problematic ever since former general manager Ryan Pace traded a fourth-round pick to acquire him from the Jaguars in 2020 and committed to a three-year, $24 million contract.
After a brutal first season in which he couldn’t beat out Mitch Trubisky for the starting job in summer and then lost the spot to Trubisky after a brief run as the starter, Foles was essentially shelved. Former coach Matt Nagy declared him the third-stringer last spring, and Foles said publicly he hoped to be traded to a better situation.
The Bears couldn’t find a taker for his contract, and he played just one game for them. With Fields and Andy Dalton both injured, Foles led the team to a 25-24 comeback victory at Seattle in Week 16.
In two seasons with the Bears, he has an 82.6 passer rating to go with 11 touchdown passes and eight interceptions. At 33 and four seasons removed from winning Super Bowl MVP, it’s doubtful there will be a strong market for Foles.
Siemian, 30, signed a two-year, $4 million deal after playing six games off the bench for the Saints last season. Poles was drawn to his overall game, as well as his history working with elite quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.
“In this offense, I think he’s a better fit [than Foles],” Poles said. “In terms of a guy who has been behind Peyton and Brees, there’s also a wealth of knowledge he can bring to Justin.”
