Nick Foles

Former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles has spent the 2023 season as a free agent, but he's found other ways to compete and add more hardware to his trophy case.

Foles has taken his talents to the sport of pickleball and played in 3.0 mixed doubles and men's doubles at the PPA Finals in San Clemente, California this past weekend. He partnered with his wife, Tori, and friend Jim Davenport, and wound up winning gold medals in both divisions.

The 34-year-old told Pickleball.com's Will Daughton that the short memory needed by a quarterback is the biggest skill he carried from football into his new sport.

"There are plenty of shots where you dink it into the net, and there's nothing more demoralizing than doing that, but you've got to move on and play the next point and just hit the next shot," Foles said. "You get a lot of those plays that you want back, but you have to move forward."

Foles wasn't the only NFL alum competing this past weekend, as former wide receiver Golden Tate also competed in the men's 4.5 doubles division.

Pickleball continues to be one of the fastest-growing sports in the country with stars such as Tom Brady, Kevin Durant, Venus Williams and Patrick Mahomes among those who have invested in Major League Pickleball teams.

The New England Patriots are in need of a backup quarterback for Mac Jones, but it appears two free agent veterans can be scratched off the list of potential candidates.

New England has not shown interest in either Carson Wentz or Nick Foles as a backup to Jones, according to MassLive's Mark Daniels.

The Patriots released Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham on Tuesday in what was a surprise move for the organization. They also released Trace McSorley on Monday.

New England selected Zappe in the fourth round of the 2022 draft out of Western Kentucky and he won the hearts of Patriots fans while filling in for an injured Jones last season.

"Zappe Fever" emerged in Foxborough after the 24-year-old led the Patriots to wins over the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns in back-to-back starts while completing 74.5 percent of his passes for 497 yards and three touchdowns against one interception.

In four games total, he completed 70.7 percent of his passes for 781 yards and five touchdowns against three interceptions.

However, "Zappe Fever" cooled off this summer as the second-year signal-caller struggled to get comfortable in Bill O'Brien's offense, and the last straw was likely his disappointing performance in a 23-7 preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans on Friday in which he went 8-for-15 for 57 yards, in addition to being sacked four times and fumbling three times.

Cunningham, meanwhile, was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Louisville this summer and the Patriots were using him in a variety of roles during the preseason, including quarterback and wide receiver.

Given his flexibility and Bill Belichick's admiration for do-it-all players, it was something of a surprise that Cunningham was cut.

With Jones now the only quarterback on the roster, the Patriots are exploring their options at backup.

Wentz is available after a disappointing 2022 campaign with the Washington Commanders in which he completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 1,755 yards and 11 touchdowns against nine interceptions in eight games (seven starts).

With Wentz under center, the Commanders went 2-5. Washington eventually benched the 2016 second overall pick in favor of 2022 fifth-round pick Sam Howell, who will be the franchise's starting quarterback in 2023.

Wentz began his career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016 and even finished third in MVP voting during the 2017 season. However, he tore his ACL late during the 2017 campaign and has never been able to return to form.

Foles, meanwhile, has spent much of his 11-year career as a reliable backup, though he did lead the Eagles to a victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl LII during the 2017 campaign after Wentz was ruled out for the postseason with his ACL injury.

Nick Foles turns 34 today!

In Super Bowl LII, he gave us one of the greatest plays in #NFL history: the Philly Special.

🎥: @Eagles | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/QVlro0Owtj

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 20, 2023

Foles spent the 2022 campaign with the Indianapolis Colts, primarily as a backup to Matt Ryan before he was released.

While Wentz and Foles reportedly are not candidates for the New England backup job, some other signal-callers available include Colt McCoy, Trevor Siemian, Will Grier, John Wolford, Jake Fromm and Ben DiNucci.

Anthony Richardson and Gardner Minshew are the quarterbacks of the future in Indianapolis.

The Colts released veteran quarterback Nick Foles on Friday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Foles played in three games and made two starts for the Colts in 2022, but Indianapolis is dropping the second half of his two-year contract. It is likely that Minshew, a former backup to Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts, or Richardson, this year's fourth overall draft pick, will be the team's starting quarterback next season.

This is not the first time Foles has been released since leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl win in 2017.

The Jacksonville Jaguars traded Foles one season after signing him to a four-year contract in 2018. Foles' three rough starts with the team lost him the starting job to Minshew, then also a Jaguar.

Foles was traded to the Chicago Bears. He made seven starts in 2020, but just one in 2021 after the Bears turned to Andy Dalton and Justin Fields instead. The Bears reportedly were not able to find a trade option and released him in April 2022.

One month later, the Colts signed Foles to a two-year, $2.5 million deal to back up Matt Ryan. Foles made two starts, completed 25 of 42 passes, threw no touchdowns and four interceptions in 2022.

Given the signing of Minshew, drafting of Richardson as well as the return of Sam Ehlinger, who finished out the 2022 season as the Colts starter, the Colts decided to move on.

Foles has been in the NFL for nine seasons, five of them with the Eagles. The third-rounder out of Arizona was named to the 2013 Pro Bowl after putting up the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in league history, but the Texan is best known for becoming the MVP of Super Bowl LII after playing most of the 2017 season as a backup.

After coming in for an injured Carson Wentz in Week 15, Foles led the Eagles to the Super Bowl, then became the third quarterback in history to catch a touchdown pass in the big game. The Eagles won, 41-33, and Foles became a Philadelphia hero.

Foles will now enter the 2023 free-agency market and could be considered by teams looking for a veteran backup.

New York Giants rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux had a brutal response to Indianapolis Colts head coach Jeff Saturday when told Wednesday of his criticism:

Kayvon Thibodeaux, asked about Colts HC Jeff Saturday ripping his celebration:

“I don’t know who he is. So I’m not really too concerned about people who comment on me & I don’t know them.”

He says he’s paid to be a savage & sack QBs

Thibodeaux hopes Nick Foles gets better

— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) January 4, 2023

Colts quarterback Nick Foles suffered a rib injury when Thibodeaux sacked him in the second quarter Sunday. The pass-rusher celebrated with snow angels while Foles was still on the ground, and he later mimicked "go to sleep" on the sideline as medical personnel checked on Foles.

Foles was carted off the sideline and ruled out for the rest of the game.

"Tasteless from the celebration afterward," Saturday said Monday. "Just trash. Not a fan of it at all."

After the game, Thibodeaux said he didn't know Foles was injured.

"When you are doing the celebration, you are not looking to see who is doing what," he told reporters. "I hope he gets well, and I hope he is all right."

Based on his comments about Saturday, the former Oregon star isn't backing down from his actions.

The sack was the fourth of the season for the No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft. He also has 49 tackles, six tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and five passes defended in 14 games.

Thibodeaux still might need to learn some NFL history if he doesn't know about Saturday, who was a three-time All-Pro, six-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XLI champion with the Colts and Green Bay Packers. The 47-year-old is 1-6 as the interim head coach after taking over for Frank Reich in Week 10.

Indianapolis Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday didn't mince words when it came to New York Giants rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux celebrating a sack next to an injured Nick Foles.

"Tasteless from the celebration afterward," Saturday told reporters Monday. "Just trash. Not a fan of it at all."

He added he thought some of Foles' teammates should've come to his defense on the field and confronted Thibodeaux:

"Tasteless ... just trash."

Colts coach Jeff Saturday on Kayvon Thibodeaux's celebration while Nick Foles was hurt 😳 pic.twitter.com/sbeKmQLsgJ

— Sporting News NFL (@sn_nfl) January 2, 2023

The moment made for an arresting visual. Thibodeaux sacked Foles in the second quarter and celebrated by doing snow angels inches away from the quarterback, who was visibly injured after the play.

The Giants defensive end denied knowing Foles was hurt.

"When I did realize that he was hurt, that's when we started getting up," he told reporters after New York's 38-10 win. "When you're doing a celebration, you're not looking to see who's doing what. But I hope he gets well and I hope he's all right."

Thibodeaux did, however, appear to add insult to injury when he mimicked the "night, night" celebration of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry after heading to the sideline.

Saturday confirmed Foles is out for Indianapolis' season finale against the Houston Texans on Sunday. As a result, Sam Ehlinger will start under center, and Matt Ryan will be the backup.

Ehlinger went 9-of-14 for 60 yards and a touchdown after taking over for Foles in Week 17.

After playing the second half against the New York Giants on Sunday, Sam Ehlinger will start at quarterback in the Indianapolis Colts' season finale against the Houston Texans.

Interim head coach Jeff Saturday made the announcement Monday. Nick Foles was removed in the second quarter against the Giants with a rib injury after being hit by Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Ehlinger played decently against the Giants, albeit in a game the Colts were losing by 21 points at halftime. The 24-year-old finished 9-of-14 for 60 yards and one touchdown in the second half.

The Colts lost 38-10, giving them 11 losses in a season for the first time since 2017.

Week 18 will mark the third game Ehlinger has started this season. Then-head coach Frank Reich announced Oct. 24 that Ehlinger would take over as the starting quarterback because of Matt Ryan's struggles and his shoulder injury.

Ehlinger went 32-of-52 for 304 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in his first two starts. The Colts lost to the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots by a combined score of 43-19.

After the Colts fired Reich on Nov. 7 and Saturday took over as head coach on an interim basis, Ryan returned to the starting lineup. He led Indianapolis to a 25-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Saturday's first game, but things have fallen apart since then.

The Colts have lost six in a row. They benched Ryan for a second time prior to Week 16, and Foles took over as the starter. The Super Bowl 52 MVP didn't have a touchdown and threw four interceptions in six quarters over two games before his injury.

While most of the focus in Week 18 will be on matchups with playoff implications, the Texans-Colts game could have huge ramifications on the 2023 NFL draft order. If the Texans win and the Chicago Bears lose to the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago will get the No. 1 overall pick.

The Colts hold the fifth pick, though they could move up two spots to No. 3 overall with a loss and wins by the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals.

Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly was not happy with New York Giants pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux during Sunday's matchup.

As Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk noted, Colts quarterback Nick Foles exited the game with a rib injury he suffered on a Thibodeaux sack. While the pass-rusher may not have seen Foles on the ground in pain, he made snow angels on the field in the immediate aftermath and later made a "go to sleep" gesture on the sideline.

"Hopefully his teammates will—maybe one day he'll learn that injuries happen in this league, you never want it to happen to the guy that you're going against," Kelly said, per JJ Stankevitz of the Colts' website. "That's just horses--t."

For his part, Thibodeaux told reporters: "When I did realize that he was hurt, that's when we started getting up. When you're doing a celebration, you're not looking to see who's doing what. But I hope he gets well, and I hope he's all right."

New York had no trouble during the 38-10 victory, and the rookie pass-rusher had five tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and one pass defended.

Yet it was the celebration that drew much of the attention in the aftermath, especially since it happened on a play that forced the Colts to turn to Sam Ehlinger once again this season. The AFC South team has gone from Matt Ryan to Ehlinger to Foles under center and is finishing out the string on a lost campaign.

Indianapolis is an ugly 4-11-1 and may be looking for a new quarterback and head coach this offseason.

As for Thibodeaux, his presence has helped the Giants set the tone up front on the defensive side for much of his rookie campaign.

He is also playing his best football as the season progresses and recently posted 12 tackles and a forced fumble on a strip-sack that he recovered and then returned for a touchdown during a Week 15 win over the Washington Commanders.

The Giants clinched their first playoff appearance since the 2016 season with Sunday's win, which will put the rookie under even more of a spotlight once the postseason begins. That spotlight could bring more scrutiny if there are any more controversial celebrations or plays, but it could also lead to more praise if he continues to play well.

For now, though, he was called out by one of his opponents.

The Indianapolis Colts will need to finish Sunday's game against the New York Giants without their starting quarterback.

Indianapolis ruled Nick Foles out with a rib injury after he was sacked by Kayvon Thibodeaux. While Foles walked to the sideline on his own power, he was taken to the locker room with a cart just before halftime.

While Foles will forever be a legend for Philadelphia Eagles fans after he stepped in for the injured Carson Wentz and led the team to a Super Bowl title during the 2017 campaign, the Colts surely didn't envision him starting December games this season.

He was third on the depth chart at one time behind Matt Ryan and Sam Ehlinger, but this was his second straight start. He was also under center for Indianapolis' 20-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16.

Sunday marked his second straight game without leading the offense to a touchdown, as he went 8-of-13 for 81 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception before exiting.

The Colts turned to Ehlinger again after the Foles injury. The University of Texas product is 0-2 as a starter this season and likely isn't the long-term answer for Indianapolis.

Ryan has dealt with a shoulder injury and benching at times this season, and Stephen Holder of ESPN noted his 2022 season is likely over.

Indianapolis finishes the campaign with a matchup against the Houston Texans, but the bigger picture of the quarterback position and head coaching spot will be under the spotlight during the offseason.

Foles likely won't be the answer, and his chance to make an impression on Sunday came to an early end.

The Indianapolis Colts will start Nick Foles at quarterback against the New York Giants on Sunday even though he's coming off a three-interception outing in a 20-3 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Interim head coach Jeff Saturday told the news to reporters Tuesday.

The 4-10-1 Colts benched starter Matt Ryan in favor of Foles for the Chargers game. However, Foles finished 17-of-29 for 143 yards, no touchdowns and three picks. A struggling offensive line also helped lead to seven sacks of Foles, an 11-year NFL veteran who joined the Colts this offseason.

Ryan was inactive for this game, so the Colts' backup option was second-year signal-caller Sam Ehlinger, who has completed 32 of 52 passes for 304 yards and one interception in two games this year. He's also rushed for 54 yards and been sacked 11 times.

However, the Colts decided against going to Ehlinger fresh off their fifth straight loss.

It's been a trying season for a Colts team that entered this year with playoff aspirations after adding Ryan, a four-time Pro Bowler, after parting ways from Carson Wentz. Indianapolis needed only one win in its final two games to make the playoffs, but it came up short at 9-8.

This year has somehow been even worse.

Indianapolis has scored the second-fewest points per game leaguewide. All three Colts starting quarterbacks have combined to take 56 sacks. Star running back Jonathan Taylor is out for the year after having dealt with ankle injuries for much of the season. Both head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Marcus Brady have been fired.

The low point happened on Dec. 18 when Indianapolis opened a 33-0 lead on the Minnesota Vikings before falling 39-36 in overtime, capping the biggest comeback in NFL history. The Colts followed that up with a largely lifeless performance against the Chargers.

They'll now travel to New Jersey to face an 8-6-1 Giants team that will make the playoffs with one more win. Kickoff will be Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

The Indianapolis Colts made the decision to start veteran quarterback Nick Foles over former NFL MVP Matt Ryan and second-year signal-caller Sam Ehlinger in this week's Monday Night Football matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Unfortunately, the change under center didn't result in a change of fortune for Indianapolis.

Foles and the rest of the Colts offense had an abysmal showing in a 20-3 loss at Lucas Oil Stadium. The 33-year-old threw for 143 yards and three interceptions in his first in-game action of the 2022 season. He was also sacked seven times as the Los Angeles defense had its way with the Indianapolis offensive line.

While Foles will always be remembered as the hero of Super Bowl LII for leading the Philadelphia Eagles to their first title in franchise history, he hasn't been able to find much success on the field since then.

There's no guarantee Ryan or Ehlinger would've had more success against Los Angeles, but Monday's lackluster outing from Foles raised questions as to why the Colts didn't give the 24-year-old Ehlinger a chance to show what he's got.

NFL Twitter unloaded on Foles and the Indianapolis offense for failing to compete in front of a primetime audience:

The @colts offense is so hard to watch 🤦🏾‍♂️

— Harry Douglas (@HDouglas83) December 27, 2022

So I guess Nick Foles isn’t the answer either.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) December 27, 2022

Every quarterback who goes to the Colts becomes terrible and noodle armed

— Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) December 27, 2022

Picked again ... and the throw still wasn't even past the sticks 😂😂

I can't even with this offense.

— Collin (@cmccollo) December 27, 2022

Seen enough of Foles. Seen enough of Ryan. Can we see some more of Ehlinger? If not, who's the Colts' emergency QB?

This would seem to be an emergency.

— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) December 27, 2022

https://twitter.com/Tyler_Greever/status/1607576050900377600

Nick Foles looks like a QB who hasn't played much in two seasons.

— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) December 27, 2022

I can’t believe we lost a Super Bowl to Nick Foles. Pour me a shot.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) December 27, 2022

What a bleepshow call for a QB who has no business being out there. Then again the Colts don't have a real OC or OL, either. This is all on Irsay. Pathetic

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 27, 2022

Nick Foles is always what his team needs him to be.

You need to win a Super Bowl? He’s gonna get you that ring.

You tryna tank? He’ll get you that draft pick.

— David Wysong (@DavidWysong_) December 27, 2022

The Nick Foles is awesome in Philadelphia and terrible everywhere else is the NFL storyline over the last 10 seasons that is simply unexplainable

— trey wingo (@wingoz) December 27, 2022

I respect that Nick Foles has made his intentions clear in this game. If he feels pressure, that ball is going up. No sense in taking hits for a tanking team.

— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) December 27, 2022

The Colts offensive line is playing terrible.

— Tyler Dragon (@TheTylerDragon) December 27, 2022

It continues: The Colts have been outscored 62-0 over the past 3+ fourth quarters.

Under Jeff Saturday (5+ games) it's now 90-9 in favor of the opposition.

— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) December 27, 2022

How many quarters would it take the Colts to get 13 points?

— Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) December 27, 2022

That’s seven sacks allowed tonight, the second most the Colts have given up this season.

This unit, until tonight, was trending in the right direction.

— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) December 27, 2022

The Colts face a ton of questions heading into the offseason, but the team's top priority will be finding a reliable quarterback. After a tumultuous 2022 campaign, it might be wise for Indianapolis to look to the future by building through the draft.

For now, the Colts (4-10-1) will try to end their five-game skid when they visit the New York Giants (8-6-1) on New Year's Day.