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The Kansas City Chiefs officially signed quarterback Nick Foles on Friday and he then joined his new team at practice. After being released last week by the Los Angeles Rams, the 27-year-old Foles elected to accept a one-year contract offer from the Chiefs as their backup, rejoining Andy Reid, his coach from his rookie year in Philadelphia.
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At Friday morning's practice, Foles was throwing passes during individual drills.
"It was always an opportunity to where I would go to be around respect and love," Foles told reporters after practice. "Coach Reid was the guy who drafted me as a rookie. He's a guy that I always stayed in touch with, always thought the world of. So, as I sort of just stepped away from the game for those few days, I was able to talk to him -- talk to him about how I felt. It really was only Coach Reid -- that was it."
Published reports said the deal is for $1.7 million in the 2016 season with incentives available. There is a club option for 2017, based on incentives achieved in the coming season.
There was interest shown in Foles by both Dallas and Minnesota, but he only had eyes for the Chiefs and hooking up again with Reid.
"I really didn't care about any other offer," Foles said Friday. "I told my agents, 'That's the guy I want to play for.' I needed to step back and just see how I feel about everything, and then, go forward. As you know, and the guys here know, that's a great guy to play for, so I'm blessed to have the opportunity to be back with him."
The 6-foot-6, 243-pound Foles has played in 39 games (35 starts) in four NFL seasons with the Rams (2015) and Eagles (2012-14). His career numbers include 740 completions on 1,230 attempts (60.2 percent) for 8,805 yards with 53 touchdowns and 27 interceptions (87.3 rating). He has 101 career rushing attempts for 351 yards and five touchdowns.
"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 a 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."
In the 2012 NFL Draft, Reid selected Foles out of the University of Arizona in the third round with the 88th pick. Reid left the Eagles after the 2012 season, replaced by Chip Kelly.
"Nick is familiar with our system and he's a good football player," Reid said. "He was good for me as a rookie and Chip (Kelly) his first year there. I think he's a good fit and you can't have enough of those guys. It's a tough position and you want to make sure you're fully loaded there -- I think we're doing that."
Foles had a breakout year in 2013 with the Eagles, completing 203 passes on 317 attempts for 2,891 yards with 27 touchdowns and two interceptions in only 10 starts. His 119.2 rating that season led the league and stands as the third-best mark in NFL history. Foles' touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2013 was the best ever by an NFL quarterback, which helped earn him a place on the 2014 Pro Bowl roster where he was named the Pro Bowl's MVP.
Foles will be the backup to starter Alex Smith. The other quarterbacks on the roster are Tyler Bray, Aaron Murray and Kevin Hogan.
"The one thing Nick has that these other guys don't is his experience," Reid said. "I think these other guys are going to be tremendous. We have a great stable of guys at that position. What a position to be in. It's a win-win situation."
