The Philadelphia Eagles considered a move for Marcus Mariota in the draft, but Chip Kelly did not feel a Sam Bradford trade ever came close to getting Mariota and while the Cleveland Browns were interested, Kelly is moving forward with Bradford as his quarterback and this comes as Matt Barkley could be traded following the signing of free agent Tim Tebow.
The Eagles drafted Nelson Agholor with their first round pick after wild speculation that Kelly would try to move up to take his old college QB in Mariota. According to Pro Football Talk, the Eagles made the Buccaneers an offer for the number one pick with Bradford and another player along with picks, but nothing ever came close to happening. The Browns were also interested in making a move for Bradford, but nothing came to fruition during the draft.
Bradford may be looking for a contract extension now and as he recovers from his knee injury, the team has Matt Barkley, Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow on the roster. According to NFL.com, Chip Kelly said Tebow is not just a "camp arm" and that he has a chance to make the team. Those comments followed some from Mark Sanchez about Tebow being an option in camp with Bradford out.
According to Pro Football Talk, Matt Barkley remains on the trade block after the draft and there is a chance he could get traded if Kelly likes what he sees from Tebow. Earlier in the offseason there were reports that Barkley could be traded if Tebow was signed and now that could be a potential outcome. Barkley has not played much in his first two seasons sin the league and could net a late round draft pick from a team.
The Philadelphia Eagles made a flurry of moves in free agency and after a trade up for Marcus Mariota did not work out, the team could look at moving Barkley. The Eagles traded away Nick Foles for Sam Bradford and clearly Chip Kelly was telling the truth when he said he would not mortgage the future to get a quarterback. The Eagles have been active in free agency, adding DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews on deals and that could make the team NFC East favorites.
The LeSean McCoy deal got things started for the Eagles and after making the move for Bradford, many speculated that Kelly could go get Mariota. According to Pro Football Talk, while it remains a possibility, it is very unlikely Kelly trades Bradford after his comments and after what he gave up for the QB. The Eagles were motivated to add Bradford and gave up more draft compensation to get him than the Rams did to get Foles.
The team signed DeMarco Murray to a five-year, $42 million contract and the deal has over $20 million guaranteed. The Cowboys did not want to go that high and the Eagles stepped in. Funny enough, the Eagles had almost signed Frank Gore to a deal and when that fell apart, the team went after Murray.
Last season Murray led the league in rushing and now he changes teams and he will share things along with Mathews and Darren Sproles. The move also bring Murray back with his college teammate in Sam Bradford, who Kelly thinks can bounce back after having ACL surgery the past two seasons as he comes into the final year of his rookie contract.