Bears have released Nick Foles

As first reported by the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo on Saturday night, and now made official by the team, the Chicago Bears have released veteran quarterback Nick Foles.

The Bears have been looking to trade the 33-year old QB this offseason, but instead of continuing to pursue a deal, general manager Ryan Poles decided to allow Foles to pick his next destination as a free agent. Chicago will save $3 million in cap space this year with the move, and they will incur about a $7.6 million dead cap hit.

Garafolo confirmed the report with Foles’ agent Justin Schulman, and Schulman said that, “Ryan Poles did the classy thing and Nick appreciates it.”

With Foles on the move, that leaves veteran pickup Trevor Siemian and former practice squdder Ryan Willis on the roster backing up starter Justin Fields.

The writing was on the wall for Foles’ place in the Windy City when the Bears signed Siemian, who is a little more athletic and a better fit for Luke Getsy’s new offense.