How a letter from Nick Foles' wife convinced him to return to the NFL, giving the Eagles their only Super Bowl title

PHILADELPHIA – Nick Foles was afraid to play football again. The pain of being traded by the Philadelphia Eagles and failing at the St. Louis Rams was too much for Foles.

After Foles was benched after nine games in St. Louis, the Rams wanted to part ways with him as quickly as they wanted to leave St. Louis. The franchise has wanted to leave Foles in the past, which made it easy for them to move on when Foles requested his release from the team in the summer of 2016.

For Foles, football was no longer fun. It was work.

“My heart went through a lot,” Foles said at his retirement press conference at Lincoln Financial Field. “I remember realizing I was in a paralyzed state where I wasn't leaving the game, but I wasn't going to the game either.”

A week later, Foles received a call from Andy Reid that changed his life. Foles was given the opportunity by Andy Reid to revive his career as the backup quarterback to Alex Smith with the Kansas City Chiefs. Reid was part of the brain trust that drafted Foles in Philadelphia and was the first NFL coach to give him a chance.

Foles was still hesitant about returning. That's where Tori Foles comes in.

Tori wrote her husband a four-page letter to help him get back to the game he loved. Tori is the rock of the Foles family and Foles was so touched by the letter that it remains in one of the Bibles in his house.

“There was a reason I kept it,” Foles said. “It was the most amazing letter ever written.”

Foles, a devout Christian, then decided to have a conversation with God. He asked God, “What should I do?” while he was considering giving football another chance.

“I remember hearing a little feeling in my gut that said, 'What are you most afraid of?'” Foles said. “I was most afraid of going back and playing because of what I had experienced in St. Louis. I was scared.”

“But I knew from my faith, from the Bible and from my life that God would be with me if I gave up the game or started again. But the thing I'm most afraid of is probably starting again.”

That was enough for Foles to call Reid. He vowed to give his all to football one more time and fall in love with the game again.

“I called Andy and told him, 'If you still want me, I think there's something left in me,'” Foles said. “'There's something left and I think if I can get it anywhere, it's from you.'”

After just four practices, Foles had regained his passion for the game he loved so much. Foles knew everything was going to be OK.

“I burst out crying in the film room,” Foles said. “I was excited to get back to practice.”

Eighteen months later, Foles led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title. Foles completed one of the most magical postseason runs in NFL history, becoming the only quarterback to throw and catch a touchdown pass in the postseason – en route to the Eagles' victory in Super Bowl LII. Foles still has the highest pass completion rate in NFL playoff history (68.1%), just ahead of Patrick Mahomes (67.9%).

The Foles legend would not have been possible without the influence of his wife Tori, because this four-page letter put him on the right path.