Eagles are honoring Nick Foles' retirement tonight. Here are his best moments in Philadelphia.
Nick Foles, who owns an exclusive space in Philadelphia Eagles history, will be honored during the Birds' home opener tonight at Lincoln Financial Field against the Atlanta Falcons.
Last month, Foles announced his retirement after an 11-year NFL career. In a video posted to social media, the 35-year-old called it a "special privilege" to play for the Eagles, St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears.
"Specifically, thank you to the Philadelphia Eagles fans. Thank you for all your support from 2012, when I was drafted to 2017 when I came back," Foles said in the video. "You truly made playing Philadelphia the most special experience in my football career."
Here is a roundup of some of our favorite Foles moments.
"You want 'Philly, Philly'": Foles catches TD pass in Super Bowl LII
Foles is the only quarterback to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl win in franchise history. Before halftime of the Birds' 41-33 win over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, Foles asked Doug Pederson a simple question. Then, a legend was born.
In a video captured by Showtime's "Inside the NFL," Foles goes over to Pederson before a 4th-and-goal and asks his head coach, "You want, 'Philly, Philly?'" Pederson responds, "Yeah, let's do it."
Philadelphia was leading 15-12 late in the second quarter when Foles lined up in the shotgun, then moved to the right side of the offensive line behind Lane Johnson. Jason Kelce snapped the ball to Corey Clement, who pitched it to tight end Trey Burton — who was recruited to the University of Florida as a quarterback. Burton then tosses the ball to a wide-open Foles for the touchdown.
Recently, Foles broke down the play-call, which was actually called the "Philly Special," on his former teammate Chris Long's podcast, Green Light. Foles admitted the play nearly never happened.
Foles said the Birds were initially working on a speed option out of the shotgun, but they "butchered" it every rep in practice. The speed option was the initial play call before Foles pitched the "Philly Special" to Pederson.
"Doug trusted me enough because he knew me enough," Foles said. "'Nick is feeling this. Let's execute this.' Because he could've overrode this play call. But he pauses and said, 'Let's do it.'"
The NFC championship flea-flicker
The "Philly Special" wasn't the only trick play Foles executed flawlessly during the Eagles' 2018 Super Bowl run. In the Birds' 38-7 demolishing of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC championship game, Foles connected with Torrey Smith on a 41-yard touchdown off a flea-flicker to all but officially nail down the victory.
The Eagles were up 24-7 with 10:15 left in the third quarter. The game was essentially over, but Foles still dropped a perfectly thrown ball off a flea flicker into Smith's arms to put the Birds up 31-7.
Foles threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns against the Vikings in the NFC title game.
Foles' 7-touchdown game against the Oakland Raiders
This memory goes back to Foles' first stint as an Eagle, Week 9 in 2013, his second season in Philadelphia and his ninth career start. Foles made NFL history in the Eagles' 49-20 win over the Raiders at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
Foles became the first NFL quarterback to throw for seven touchdowns while having a perfect 158.3 passer rating. At the time, Foles was the seventh quarterback in NFL history to throw for seven touchdowns in a single game, with Peyton Manning having done it earlier in the 2013 season. There are eight now, with Drew Brees last doing it in 2015.
"I slowed everything down. I was trying to do what I did all week in practice and carry that onto the field," Foles said after the win in Oakland. "I was told [of the record] after [the game]. Whenever I looked at records throughout my whole life, the greatest thing about it is the guys you do it with. It's something special for the Philadelphia Eagles organization."
Foles made the Pro Bowl in 2013 after throwing for 2,891 yards and 27 touchdowns with just two interceptions.
Foles sets Eagles' single-game passing record
Once again, Foles was the starting quarterback for an injured Carson Wentz during the 2018 season, months after leading the Birds to a Super Bowl win while taking over for an injured Carson Wentz.
All Foles did was set the Eagles' franchise record for the most passing yards in a single game in his final home game as a Bird.
Foles threw for 471 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Eagles to a 32-20 win over the Houston Texans on Dec. 23, 2018. Late in the game, Foles left for a play after being hit late by Texans edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney was fined over $40,000 for the hit.
"We stuck together through the ups and downs," Foles said after the game.
Foles and the Eagles nearly went on another unlucky run the season after their Super Bowl win, but the magic ran out in New Orleans. The Birds fell, 20-14, to the Saints in the NFC divisional round. It ended up being Foles' last game as an Eagle.
