PHILADELPHIA — Despite throwing 27 touchdown passes and just two interceptions while leading the league in passer rating last season, Nick Foles will earn only $635,000 this season.
That is mainly because, under the terms of the league’s collective bargaining agreement, the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2012 third-round pick can’t get his rookie contract reworked until after his third season.
Last week, he got a glimpse of the kind of money he soon might be making when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick signed a six-year, $110 million contract extension that included $61 million in guarantees. However, Foles insisted he is not giving any thought to how Kaepernick’s deal might impact him a year from now.
“I’ve always said that how I play, how our team is, how I am as a leader, that will all take care (of what I make) when the time comes,” Foles said. “Right now, I’m just having fun out there. I’m having fun with my teammates. Having fun playing this game.
“I’m just cherishing this. There’s been so many times where careers are cut short, so I’m just trying to make the most of it. If I’m fortunate to get to that down the road, then I’ll be thankful. But I’m just thankful right now about what I’m doing.”
Foles, whose father sold his interest in a chain of restaurants two years ago for $59 million, said it is counterproductive to dwell on what he might make if he has another good season.
“When you start worrying about numbers, you start worrying about what you’re doing,” he said. “And that’s when you mess up. Because none of that really matters.
“You get a contract like that because you’ve played well and you’ve shown you can be that guy for the franchise. I have to continue to prove that each and every day. I have a lot of guys on this team who look to me every day to work hard.
“When I’m playing out there, there’s no dollar sign on me when I’m throwing the ball. I throw the ball because I’ve grown up playing this game, or grown up being a quarterback. I have to do it to the best of my ability. And the end of the day, we’ll see what happens (with the contract).”