The Philadelphia Eagles could have a new quarterback in 2015, as Chip Kelly may go after Jake Locker in free agency and that could mean he is looking to trade Nick Foles in the hopes of moving up to get Marcus Mariota in the NFL draft later this spring, as Kelly worked with Mariota while coaching at Oregon and may go all-in on drafting him.
Kelly is one of the most inventive and innovate offensive minds in the NFL and he now has the power over the Eagles personnel decisions after being give more responsibility this offseason. There have been various reports about moves the Eagles are going to make this offseason, including the possibility of trading Foles and moving up to draft Mariota. NJ.com reported that the Rams and Texans have interest in Foles and the website also reported that Kelly is plotting "multiple moves" to trade up to get Mariota.
According to Pro Football Talk, NJ.com once again is reporting on some Eagles moves, as the team could be interested in picking up Jake Locker in free agency. Last season the Eagles used both Foles and Mark Sanchez, as Foles was injured halfway through the season after suffering a collarbone injury. Reports last year had Kelly not sold on Foles as the long-term quarterback and his numbers last season were a step back from what he did the previous year.
Foles has gone 14-4 under Kelly, but last season his numbers were trending down compared to the year before when he broke out with 27 TDs, two interceptions and a 64 percent competition percentage. Foles played in just eight games this season, but he had 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in that time while completing 59 percent of his passes. Locker has been up and down in his time with the Titans since being drafted, but as NJ.com points out, Kelly saw Locker up close when he coached in the Pac-12 and he may see something in him that other coaches and scouts have missed. Kelly could use Locker as a backup option in case he can't get Mariota and trading Foles likely would help him move up, as he could get a draft pick for him to use in a package to get Mariota.
The Eagles won 10 games last season for the second straight year, but it was not good enough to make the playoffs in the NFC East. The Eagles promoted Howie Roseman to the business side of things and now Kelly has full control over the roster. The biggest free agent for the team is Jeremy Maclin, as he will be getting some major consideration from teams on the market. Maclin came back after missing all of last season and set career highs with Kelly in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.
According to Pro Football Talk, LeSean McCoy may need to rework his contract to come back next season, as he has a high cap number for this year. Kelly brought in Darren Sproles last year and while McCoy is a wildly productive back, Kelly has shown that he has no problem ditching big names, as he cut loose DeSean Jackson last year.