The Eagles quarterback who will face Tom Brady in the Super Bowl nearly retired 3 years ago — and his career path is one of the wildest in recent memory

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

• Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles is squaring off against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII on Sunday.
• Foles has had an up-and-down career — after getting benched in 2015, he contemplated retirement from the NFL.
• His journey from benchwarmer to Super Bowl starter is one of the wildest in recent memory.

Sunday’s Super Bowl LII matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots will pit arguably the most accomplished quarterback of all time — Tom Brady — against the Eagles’ unheralded quarterback Nick Foles.

While most of the talk leading up to the game centers on Brady’s quest for a record sixth Super Bowl ring, Foles has a compelling narrative of his own. The 29-year-old journeyman looked to be the Eagles’ franchise quarterback five years ago, before an injury, a trade, and a disappointing season had him contemplating retirement from the NFL.

Back with the Eagles, Foles was thrust into the spotlight after star quarterback Carson Wentz was sidelined with a torn ACL, forcing Foles back into the starting role with the hopes of an entire franchise on his shoulders.

Read on for Foles’ wild journey from benchwarmer to Super Bowl starter.

Nick Foles was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012 after a successful college career at Arizona. Foles initially backed up Eagles starter Michael Vick.

AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Foles started six games for the Eagles after Vick went down with a concussion. With Foles at the helm, Philadelphia went 1-5, and he was relegated to backup duty again the next season.

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

But when Vick went down again in 2013, Foles had his breakout year. He threw 27 touchdown passes, led the Eagles to the playoffs, and was named to the Pro Bowl.

AP Photo/Eugene Tanner

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

See Also:

• POWER RANKING: The top 25 people who will decide the winner of Super Bowl LII
• The Eagles’ ‘franchise-changing’ trade of Sam Bradford allowed them to make 4 major moves that helped them build a Super Bowl team
• The 27 best bets you can make on the greatest gambling day of the year — Super Bowl Sunday

SEE ALSO: The Eagles’ Nick Foles could do something no quarterback has done since Tom Brady in 2001

DON’T MISS: Meet the 3 quarterbacks who got the Eagles to the Super Bowl to face off against Tom Brady