The Philadelphia Eagles pulled off a stunning trade for Sam Bradford at the start of free agency for Nick Foles and while everyone thinks that Chip Kelly wants to trade for Marcus Mariota in the draft, he dispelled that notion in a press conference on Wednesday and added that the team already received an offer of a first round pick for Bradford, with many speculating it was from the Cleveland Browns.
According to Adam Schefter at ESPN.com, the Eagles head coach said in a press conference that the team is not going after Mariota and called the rumors "crazy". Kelly also added that Bradford was bot brought in to be a trade chip and that a team already offered a first round pick for Bradford. The trade went down on Tuesday and was a shocking one, as the Eagles gave up a 2015 draft pick and a second round pick in 2016 for Bradford.
That was a high price for a player that has dealt with injuries and that is why the speculation started running about Mariota again. Kelly is putting some water on that and while he could look at a trade down the line, the second round pick and compensation attached to Bradford likely means he will be the starter. Jason La Canfora and many others speculated on Twitter that the Browns were the team to offer the pick.
According to ESPN.com, Bradford was acquired by the Eagles for Nick Foles and a fourth round pick this year along with a second rounder for next year. The Eagles got a fifth round pick this year and Bradford and there is compensation attached, as the Eagles will get a fourth round pick if Bradford plays less than 50 percent of the snaps.
The reason many writers speculated on that is because the Browns have the most draft picks in the league coming into the event this year and they also have two first round picks. Bradford was mentioned as an option for the Browns earlier ion the offseason, but they signed Josh McCown as a free agent. While the McCown deal likely means he will be the starter, it likely will not stop Ray Farmer from looking at other QBs on the market and in the draft, which Farmer said himself after the McCown deal was signed.
The Browns missed out on big names like Jeremy Maclin, Julius Thomas and Randall Cobb in free agency, but they added Brian Hartline and have money to spend. That makes the Bradford speculation possible because of the cap space they have and if the team doesn't do anything else, they could look at players like Brett Hundley, Bryce Petty or Shane Carden in the NFL draft. Hartline is a solid option, as he comes in on a cheap deal after his release from the Dolphins.
Maclin and Randall Cobb were the top two free agents on the market at receiver and the team missed out on both, with Cobb staying in GB and Maclin going to KC. Hartline is from Ohio and now has signed a deal with the Browns and he could be a high upside, low risk option for the team. Hartline had a down season in 2014, but he had back to back 1000 yard seasons in 2012-13.
Per Schefter on Twitter: Eagles HC Chip Kelly said his team was offered a first-round pick this morning for his QB Sam Bradford.