SAN CLEMENTE, CA - Former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles described 2023 as a “family year” to spend time with his wife and kids, but that doesn’t mean that the free agent quarterback isn’t finding other ways to compete.

Foles played in 3.0 mixed doubles and men’s doubles at the PPA Finals in San Clemente, CA, this past weekend alongside his wife, Tori, and friend Jim Davenport.

Though the 6-foot 6-inch Foles certainly turns some heads with his physical prowess on the court, he says that the ability to not get too hung up on any point is the biggest skill he brings to pickleball from football.

“There are plenty of shots where you dink it into the net, and there’s nothing more demoralizing than doing that, but you’ve got to move on and play the next point and just hit the next shot,” he shared. “You get a lot of those plays that you want back, but you have to move forward.”

Foles was able to do just that Saturday and Sunday, coming away with gold medals in both divisions.

He wasn’t the only NFL player taking to the courts over the weekend at Life Time.

Former Super Bowl champion wide receiver Golden Tate also competed in the men’s 4.5 doubles division.

This growing number of current and former professional athletes joining the picklesphere is part of a larger trend of inter-sport engagement between pickleball and major sports in the U.S.

Tom Brady, Kevin Durant, Venus Williams, and Patrick Mahomes are just a few of the stars that have invested in Major League Pickleball teams.

On Nov. 29, the NBA’s Orlando Magic even hosted a ‘Pickleball Night’ where they welcomed the Orlando Squeeze’s Anna Bright, Rachel Rohrabacher, and Zane Navratil to Amway Center.

As pickleball continues to grow, more of this inter-sport engagement will follow, and more athletes will flock to pickleball courts from the football fields, basketball courts, baseball diamonds, hockey rinks, and everywhere else.

Click here to check out Foles' interiew with PPA Tour pro Dylan Frazier on-site at Life Time.