https://twitter.com/LiamJenkins21/status/710536904836575232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
It’s no secret that when Chip Kelly was the head coach and head of football operations for the Philadelphia Eagles, he would have absolutely loved to get his college quarterback, Marcus Mariota, in an Eagles uniform. While it was well known Kelly made a significant push to trade up in the 2015 NFL draft to pick Mariota second overall, we didn’t know exactly how much Kelly was offering until now. Turns out it was a lot.
Fox Sports insider Peter Schrager went on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Thursday, and laid out exactly what Kelly offered to land the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback in the draft. According to Schrager, Kelly was willing to give up:
-Two first round picks (2015 and 2016)
-A second round pick in 2015
-Their choice of any quarterback on the Eagles’ roster (so, basically Sam Bradford or Mark Sanchez)
-Any defensive player on the Eagles’ roster (which would presumably include 2016 Pro Bowlers Fletcher Cox and Malcolm Jenkins)
That is way too much! Marcus Mariota may very well turn himself into a franchise quarterback, but stripping your team of two first rounders, a second rounder, your best defender, AND a backup QB, is something every other GM in the league would have scoffed at.
What’s even more surprising about all of this is that the Titans allegedly turned down this offer. Not that Sam Bradford is anything but a below average NFL quarterback, but Tennessee needs help at multiple positions, and this could have helped them jump start their rebuilding process with at least a semi-competent quarterback in place until they found a new one in this year’s draft.
Alas, we will never know if Kelly’s tenure with the Eagles would have turned out differently if he had the chance to coach his former Oregon quarterback in the NFL, but the Titans better hope that Mariota turns into the Pro Bowl QB they’re expecting, or they will be kicking themselves in a few years for turning that kind of a deal down.
