How good will Foles be? What will he cost? Is he a missing playoff piece?

Earlier this week, ESPN senior NFL writer John Clayton took a look around the league at a handful of quarterbacks who are due for contract extensions soon.

It’s a list that includes plenty of big names, including Seattle’s Russell Wilson, San Diego’s Philip Rivers and the Giants’ Eli Manning, among others. Also making an appearance on the list is the St. Louis Rams’ Nick Foles.

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The next big QB contract debates

John Clayton, NFL senior writer

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13327965/how-pending-quarterback-negotiations-unfold-nfl

On April 26, 2013, Aaron Rodgers signed a five-year, $110 million contract that made him the highest-paid player in the league. At the time, the salary cap was at $123 million.

Since then, the cap has risen $20.28 million to $143.28 million and no one has topped that deal. Revenues in the league are increasing at a $1 billion-a-year rate. The cap is increasing $10 million a year. So how can the cap can go up 16.4 percent without anyone topping the $22 million-a-year mark?

At least eight top quarterbacks have signed deals since Rodgers agreed to one with the Green Bay Packers. But with Rodgers being considered the best or one of the best quarterbacks in the league, no one has had enough leverage to top him.

The market is changing enough that the Rodgers’ contract eventually will be topped. There is an outside chance Russell Wilson could get a deal this week that tops Rodgers’. Wilson is hoping for $25 million a year. Unfortunately for him and others, that market won’t open until next year, as I wrote yesterday in analyzing his situation.

Beyond Wilson, who is next? Well, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Andrew Luck have the chance to top Rodgers, but there are obstacles. This starts the debate. Is it better to sign now, when teams have the leverage to keep their quarterbacks under the $22 million level, or is it better to wait until next year?

Here’s a breakdown.

Eli Manning, New York Giants

The Giants are trying to reach a contract extension with Manning (34) before the start of the regular season. Manning doesn’t have a worry in the world. Pay him now or pay him later. Manning is in position to win either way. If he signs now, he would have to take something close to the four-year, $87.4 million contract signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger.

Although it’s possible the Giants might offer a little more than that to reach an agreement, it’s hard to imagine Manning getting too much more than $22 million a year if he signed this year. Roethlisberger and Manning entered the league at the same time in 2004. Each has two Super Bowl rings. Their résumés and accomplishments are pretty close.

If he waits until next year, Manning could take the quarterback market into the $24 million-a-year range. The team isn’t going to let Manning hit free agency, so it will give him the franchise tag if necessary. With a $19.75 million cap number this year, Manning’s non-exclusive 2016 franchise number would be $23.7 million. If they have to franchise him in 2017, his number would be $28.44 million.

Blending those numbers gives him the leverage to ask for $25 million a year on a long-term deal, knowing the worst-case scenario is averaging $26.07 million for the next two seasons. With a $17.5 million salary this year, Manning doesn’t have to rush into anything.

Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

The debate for Rivers (33) is about location more than money. With a big family, Rivers may not want to move to Los Angeles if the Chargers bolt San Diego. Of course, such a position could give him some leverage. In many ways, it probably benefits Rivers to wait until next year. He’s going to make $15.75 million this year and could likely get $23 million or more per year on a long-term deal if he’s willing to stay in a Chargers uniform. His cap number would be $20.9 million in 2016 and $25.08 million in 2017 as a non-exclusive franchise player. Those numbers would increase if Manning gets more than that after the season.

If you’re the Chargers, though, you can’t risk having Rivers available as a non-exclusive franchise player. Some team might be willing to gamble two first-round picks to acquire him if the Chargers elect not to match a signed tender. That puts the Chargers in the position to give him the exclusive franchise tag so no other team can make him an offer. Currently, the exclusive tag is valued at $25 million, but the number will come down if Drew Brees, Roethlisberger and Joe Flacco reduce their cap numbers next year to free up room for their teams.

Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts

He plays in a retractable dome, but the sky is the limit for what Luck can make. With 33 regular-season wins and two division titles behind him, the 25-year-old Luck should be able to negotiate a deal worth at least $24 million a year.

The Colts have elected to let him play out this season at $3.4 million, the final year of his rookie contract. He’s on the books for a $16.155 million salary for next year after the Colts exercise the fifth-year option in his first-round contract. Like Peyton Manning was before him, Luck is the face, arm, heart and soul of the franchise. The Colts are extremely lucky to have him and know they have to pay him.

Sam Bradford, Philadelphia Eagles

Timing was everything for Bradford. As the first pick in the 2010 draft, Bradford was the financial benefactor of the old collective bargaining agreement that rewarded prospects who hadn’t been on the field better than most of the veterans around the NFL. He received a six-year, $78 million contract before he played a down of pro football. Injuries spoiled his career in St. Louis, so the Rams opted to trade him to Philadelphia for a pretty good return.

As long as Bradford stays healthy and does well in Chip Kelly’s offense, he should be fine financially. At the very least, he should be eligible for a $3 million-a-year raise. What he has to do is prove he’s good enough to be a starting quarterback, which, for the one time rookie of the year, mostly means staying on the field. The market for a good starting quarterback is at least $16 million a year. Sixteen quarterbacks are currently making at least $16 million a year. Wilson, Rivers and Luck will be taking that number to 19. If Bradford does well, he will be the 20th or 21st depending on what happens to Nick Foles.

Nick Foles, St. Louis Rams

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Ten burning Rams questions: Is Nick Foles enough to get to playoffs?

Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/19789/ten-burning-rams-questions-is-nick-foles-enough-to-get-to-playoffs

EARTH CITY, Mo. — Training camps around the league are either already underway or will be before the end of the week. The St. Louis Rams officially get underway on Friday.

In the days leading up to the start of camp, we’ll take a look at 10 burning questions facing the Rams as they head toward the 2015 season.

No. 2: Can Nick Foles be enough of an upgrade at quarterback to make the Rams contenders?

If nothing else, the Rams’ decision to trade Sam Bradford for Foles in March injected some new life into an offense desperately in need of some. From here, comparisons between Foles and Bradford will be unavoidable as Bradford takes the reins in Philadelphia and Foles does the same in St. Louis.

But really, for those attempting to evaluate Foles’ impact on his new team, Bradford comparisons shouldn’t be the baseline. Foles isn’t really replacing Bradford, who didn’t play a regular-season snap for the Rams after the midpoint of the 2013 season. Rather, Foles should be held up against the likes of Kellen Clemens, Austin Davis and Shaun Hill.

In that regard, it would be a surprise if Foles doesn’t exceed the productivity of the backups that have been under center for the Rams in the past season and a half.

The question then becomes will having Foles be enough of an upgrade — given all the other moving parts on the offense — to elevate the Rams to playoff contention?

Assuming Foles is able to stay healthy, he should be a good fit for what the Rams expect of their quarterback in a run-heavy offense. Foles won’t be asked to carry the load for the offense by throwing 40 to 50 times a game. His primary focus will be on keeping turnovers to a minimum and taking advantage of deep ball opportunities when they arise.

More specifically, much of what the Rams hope for from Foles will come in the play-action game. That could be an ideal match considering Foles’ success in that area. Since 2013, Foles leads all quarterbacks with 23 touchdowns on play-action passes. If Todd Gurley and the running game can get rolling, Foles should have ample opportunity to take advantage of play-action.

In 2014, Davis and Hill each went 3-5 as the starter, combining for 3,658 yards, 20 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. The yardage and touchdown totals are probably reasonable expectations for Foles but to get the Rams into playoff contention, he’ll need to reduce the interception total by about half. Even more to the point, he’ll need to cut down on the type of back-breaking turnovers that turned into touchdowns for the defense.

Rams quarterbacks threw six interceptions and coughed up two fumbles that were returned for touchdowns in 2014, miscues that often either proved the difference on the scoreboard or allowed a close game to get away.

Foles’ job won’t be easy, especially with three new starters on the offensive line and a new coordinator in place but if he proves capable of taking care of the ball and offering the occasional big play in the passing game, it would go a long way toward getting the Rams back to the postseason for the first time since 2004.