'Carson Is The QB Going Forward': Eagles Announce Wentz Will Be Starting Quarterback
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's official: Carson Wentz will be the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles heading into 2019. During Tuesday's end-of-season press conference, Doug Pederson announced that Wentz will be the starter going forward. Now the team must decide what to do with Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles.
Eagles Have Until Mid-February To Exercise $20 Million Option To Keep Foles
"Carson is the quarterback going forward and in Nick's case, we would love to have everybody back throughout the roster, but it's not about one guy and we're going to do what's best for the team," said Pederson.
WATCH LIVE: Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson and executive VP of football operations Howie Roseman hold end-of-season press conference. https://cbsloc.al/2stjTUK
Posted by CBS Philly on Tuesday, January 15, 2019
The Eagles must decide by mid-February if they want to exercise a $20 million option to keep Foles for 2019. But Foles could decline it and pay back $2 million to become a free agent. Philadelphia could put a franchise tag on Foles, though $23-25 million is a hefty price for a backup.
"The starter thing, leading a team, impacting a locker room, that's why we play the game," Foles said Monday. "Everything is open. I love this city. I love this locker room. It's special. We'll see."
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Wentz missed the first two games of the 2018 as he was recovering from a torn ACL and missed the last five games of the season, including two playoff games against the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints, with a stress fracture to his back.
After Wentz went down, Foles went 3-0 down the stretch and helped lead the Eagles back to the playoffs.
"It's super frustrating," Wentz said about his injuries. "I still have zero games of postseason football under my belt. I realize I have a lot to prove in that regard. I'm confident I will get the chance to do that."
Despite not being able to finish the past two seasons, Howie Roseman, the executive vice president of football operations, says he has complete confidence in Wentz staying healthy.
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"We have a lot of confidence in Carson and his ability to be our quarterback, and hopefully be a 19-game starter," said Roseman, adding that the organization would still "love to keep" Foles.
The Eagles finished 9-7 on the season and were eliminated from the playoffs after losing to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)