Nick Foles’ incredible journey through the NFL is etched in history, having guided the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl victory in 2017. He also won the MVP honors in the process. But there was a time both these feats would seem like wild dreams to him.

“I almost left the game of football after my year in St.Louis early in my career after year four. And really wrestled with the Lord that offseason,” Foles revealed on Exciting Mics. “[It’s] Pretty well documented now because of the Super Bowl. And then eventually decided to play for the Chiefs, and Andy Reid, who originally drafted me, brought the love back of the game.” 

In 2017, Nick Foles might have never believed he’d be the one to take the Eagles to the Super Bowl and win it. Because up until then, he had to constantly fight for the starting quarterback job. He began as a backup for Michael Vick in 2012, and he returned to back up Carson Wentz in 2017. Before the latter stint, he spent two very troubling years at St. Louis and Kansas City. In that span, Foles had thrown for 2,462 yards and 10 touchdowns.

His tenure with the Rams was so bad that he considered retiring after that year. Foles himself had asked for a trade from the franchise, which had also benched him in the 2015 season. The Rams had also planned for a future without him, drafting Jared Goff the next year. However, Foles told The News Journal that he became a “better person” with his decision.

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Midway into the 2017 season, he finally got what he wanted. Carson Wentz was out with an injury, and Andy Reid had named him the starter from Week 15 onwards. He was thrust into a situation where the stakes could not have been higher. Many expected that a sans-Wentz Philadelphia would easily crumble. But Foles never lost a game he started for the Eagles that year.

He recorded only 537 yards in the regular season, but racked up 937 yards in the postseason. Foles gave the Eagles their first Super Bowl since 1960, when the game was still called the NFL Championship.

For Foles, fatherhood was far more meaningful than winning the Super Bowl. He recalled holding his daughter, Lily, on the stage. The visuals of Foles holding seven-month-old Lily, wearing pink headphones, as confetti fell on them on the stage are still something that moves the NFL world. 

“But one of the hardest things I was wrestling with was, I always dreamed of having a child while I was playing to have those moments right at training camp, at games, all those different things,” Foles continued. “So, the Super Bowl, obviously, huge moment for Philadelphia, our team, myself. But the greatest moment was being a father. And I got to hold my daughter on stage. And she has bragging rights over her brother because she’s the only one that gets the ring, technically. So, she’ll always have that.” 

Foles continued to play for a few more seasons and ended his career after 11 years in the NFL. He signed off with 1,302 completions for 14,227 yards and 82 touchdowns.

But while football gave him an unforgettable championship ring, it was his decision to continue playing that allowed him to experience the precious family milestone.