reiterated Tuesday that Carson Wentz will be the team's starting quarterback in 2019.Wentz missed the final three games of the regular season and two playoff games because of a back injury. Nick Foles led Philadelphia to four straight wins and was 27 yards away from taking the Eagles to the NFC championship game before his final pass bounced off Alshon Jeffery's hands and was intercepted to seal a 20-14 victory for the New Orleans Saints."Yes Jerome Brown Jerseys 2019 , Carson is the quarterback going forward," Pederson said at the start of his season-ending news conference. Foles filled in when Wentz tore two knee ligaments in December 2017 and led Philadelphia to its first NFL title since 1960, earning Super Bowl MVP honors in a win over New England.Howie Roseman, the team's executive vice president of football operations, acknowledged it's going to be a difficult decision."We would love to keep Nick Foles," Roseman said. "You talk about a guy who we drafted here and we've grown incredibly close with. I don't know a team that wouldn't want to have Nick Foles on their roster. Certainly, as we go into the substance of those discussions, we haven't had them yet Black Reggie White Jerseys , but there is no question we love having Nick Foles as an Eagle in Philadelphia and we would love to keep him."The Eagles must decide by mid-February if they want to exercise a $20 million option to keep Foles for 2019. But Foles could decline it and pay back $2 million to become a free agent. Philadelphia could put a franchise tag on Foles, though $23 million to $25 million is a hefty price for a backup. It's possible the Eagles could use the franchise or transition tag to trade Foles rather than allow him to walk away for only a compensation pick.Foles said Monday having the option to become a free agent is "extremely important" to him."It always has to be what's best for our football team and the Philadelphia Eagles. We have to make decisions based on that," Roseman said. "There is also a respect factor for guys that have done a lot for us and been part of it. We try to factor that in as well, but the bottom line is we have to do what's best for our football team to help us win games going forward."Wentz finished third in NFL MVP voting after leading the Eagles to an 11-2 record in 2017. He was 5-6 as a starter in 2018 but set career highs in passer rating and completion percentage. Don’t count him out just yet."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Eagles StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Eagles NewsYahoo Eagles Team PageYahoo Eagles ReportYahoo Eagles Depth ChartYahoo Eagles TransactionsYahoo Eagles PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Jordan Mailata still has an important role in the Eagles’ futureNew,53commentsDon’t count him out just yet.EDTShareTweetShareShareJordan Mailata still has an important role in the Eagles’ futureBill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports“Welp, there goes Jordan Mailata’s future as the starting left tackle of the Philadelphia Eagles.”The preceding was a common reaction to the Eagles trading up to No. 22 in the 2019 NFL Draft to select Washington State tackle Andre Dillard. It’s not an unreasonable sentiment. The Eagles clearly view Dillard — whom Howie Roseman dubbed as a top 10 talent on the team’s board —as Jason Peters’ long-term replacement. But just because the Eagles drafted Dillard doesn’t mean the Eagles are “down” on Mailata. The massive Australian still has an important role in the Eagles’ future. Evidence of such importance was on display during the Eagles’ first OTA practice last week when Mailata was taking first team right tackle reps. Now, it did take multiple absences for Mailata to be able to fill that spot. Peters and Lane Johnson were both not in attendance for the voluntarily practice and Halapoulivaati Vaitai was playing at right guard with Brandon Brooks still recovering from an Achilles injury. In other words, it’s not like Mailata is super close to getting on the field this year.But ... you never know! Peters Reggie White Jerseys 2019 , now 37, only played 100% of the Eagles’ offensive snaps in seven out of 18 games last season (including playoffs). Johnson is one failed PEDs test away from being suspended for 32 games (yikes!). Vaitai, who is playing on the last year of his rookie contract, is a potential trade target for a team desperately looking for o-line help. Still, the likely (and preferred) outcome is that Mailata doesn’t make much of an impact on the 2019 Eagles. The Aussie can stick on the roster as a deep reserve while he continues to develop; he still has much to learn considering he never played in a “real” NFL game until last August. 2020 should be a different story for Mailata. Assuming he’s able to build on the “unbelievable” potential he showed last summer, he could easily serve as the team’s swing tackle. Peters is bound for retirement as he turns 38 next January. Vaitai is bound for unrestricted free agency after failing to sign an extension with the Eagles to this point. Those two departures will have Mailata just one snap away from filling in for Dillard at left tackle or Johnson at right tackle. “Jordan Mailata: Swing Tackle of the Future” admittedly isn’t as exciting as “Jordan Mailata: Starting Tackle of the Future” but it’s not like it’s an unimportant role to play. We all know the Eagles won Super Bowl LII using a backup at left tackle. The bottom line is that Mailata’s presence is a good thing for the Eagles. The team has options. Mailata can be a swing tackle. He can be insurance if Dillard is a bust (hopefully not!). He can take over at right tackle if Johnson, who recently turned 29, unexpectedly declines or gets hit with a two-year ban. He might even be able to be used as trade bait at some point. Of course Black Mike Quick Jerseys , these scenarios presume that Mailata will continue to make progress in his development. There’s reason to be optimistic on that front but it’s not impossible that he could flame out. He’s a total wild card.It’ll be fascinating to watch Mailata this offseason. There were no expectations from him last summer considering he’d never even played the game before. It was easy, then, to get excited about any positives he showed. This preseason will be a little different for the 22-year-old because now there’s some hype to live up to. And if he really struggles, the Eagles’ patience with him could be tested. I don’t think the Eagles will be rushing to move on from Mailata, though. And they shouldn’t be. His upside is still intriguing, Dillard’s presence be damned.