Bears officially release quarterback Nick Foles

The Bears have officially released quarterback Nick Foles after two seasons in Chicago. The move became official Sunday morning.

Foles, 33, will now become a free agent. The former Super Bowl MVP played two seasons with the Bears and was still under contract for one more season.

Cutting Foles comes with a $7 million hit against the salary cap for the Bears in 2022. New general manager Ryan Poles had indicated that the team was trying to trade the veteran quarterback, but releasing him signals that the Bears couldn’t find a trade partner.

In 2019, Foles signed a four-year, $88 million contract worth a guaranteed $50 million, with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bears traded for Foles in March of 2020 when they wanted to find competition for former quarterback Mitch Trubisky.

Foles briefly became the starter for seven weeks during the 2020 season, but an injury forced him to the bench and he never regained the starting job from Trubisky.

A year ago, the Bears signed veteran Andy Dalton and drafted Justin Fields, essentially relegating Foles to third string. Foles played in only one game last season, making a start in a December game at Seattle.

The Bears signed quarterback Trevor Siemian in March to be Fields’ backup this year. The team also has quarterback Ryan Willis on the roster.