Colts sign QB Foles, create reunion with Reich

May 24—INDIANAPOLIS — For the third time in as many years, Frank Reich will be reunited with a quarterback from his past.

The Indianapolis Colts announced Monday they have signed veteran Nick Foles, whose incredible postseason run with Reich as the offensive coordinator on the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 led to the franchise erecting a statue in his likeness outside Lincoln Financial Field.

Foles completed 72.6% of his passes for 971 yards with six touchdowns and one interception during the Eagles' three playoff wins en route to the Super Bowl LII championship.

In the title game, Foles finished 28-of-43 for 373 yards with three touchdowns and one interception while also famously catching a touchdown pass during a 41-33 victory against the New England Patriots.

Foles has made just 17 combined starts over the past four seasons for the Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears.

As the third-string quarterback last year in Chicago, he made just one start and finished 24-of-35 for 250 yards with a touchdown and no picks in a 25-24 come-from-behind victory against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16.

There was speculation during training camp last August that Foles might be bound for Indianapolis. Former Colts starter Carson Wentz suffered a broken bone in his foot and was out indefinitely.

Meanwhile, Foles made no secret of the fact he'd like to leave Chicago and move to a team with a better chance for playing time after being slotted behind rookie Justin Fields and veteran Andy Dalton.

Reich addressed the speculation at the time and made his respect for Foles clear, but Indianapolis ultimately decided to make no additions beyond veteran Brett Hundley.

"I love Nick Foles," Reich told the media after a training camp practice at Westfield's Grand Park. "... I think he's a great player. I think he's proven that. I think he's a great teammate. There's nothing about Nick Foles that I don't like. I think he's a winner. He's certainly a guy that fits our kind of culture."

Reich prefaced and concluded those comments by noting Foles played for the Bears, but it's clear his opinion of the 33-year-old quarterback has not changed.

On May 7, Reich presented Foles with the 19th annual Call to Courage award during a ceremony in Buffalo, New York.

Reich created the award shortly after his NFL playing career ended in 1998. It honors a player who exemplifies Christian character on and off the field.

During a breakfast for the event, Reich told the Buffalo News the parallels between his own career as a celebrated backup quarterback and Foles' football journey are "crazy."

"We've talked about it a little, actually not a whole lot," Reich told the newspaper. "I think it's been an understood thing. ... For us, where that comes from, that's a deep connection between the two of us."

Foles has made 56 starts over 10 NFL seasons, completing 62.4% of his passes for 14,003 yards with 82 touchdowns and 43 interceptions.

He'll serve as the primary backup for new Colts starter Matt Ryan, giving Indianapolis it's most experience in that role since Matt Hasselbeck completed 61.9% of his passes for 2,121 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions while going 5-3 as a starter from 2013-15.

Foles joins Philip Rivers (2020) and Wentz as quarterbacks who played with Reich elsewhere only to be reunited with the head coach in Indianapolis.

Rivers completed 68% of his throws for 4,169 yards with 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while leading the Colts to an 11-5 record and a wild-card playoff berth in his final NFL season.

Wentz completed 62.4% of his attempts for 3,563 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions while going 9-8 as a starter last season before being traded to the Washington Commanders in March.

Reich made just 20 regular-season starts over a 14-year NFL career from 1985-98, completing 54.5% of his passes for 6,075 yards with 40 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. Like Foles, however, he is best known for his postseason heroics.

In January 1993, he rallied the Buffalo Bills from a 32-point deficit — still the largest postseason comeback in league history — for a 41-38 overtime victory in the wild card round against the Houston Texans.

Reich was 21-of-34 for 289 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in the victory that has helped him remain a popular figure in Buffalo some 28 years after he took his last snap for the Bills.

In Foles — a folk hero in his own right in Philadelphia — Reich sees a kindred spirit.

"We're all looking for the person that we can look up to and be inspired by — who can be the same person both on top of the mountain top and in the valley," Reich told the Buffalo News at the Call to Courage breakfast. "It's tremendous to see how Nick has carried himself the whole time, not just after being Super Bowl MVP but in the tough times as well."