The Philadelphia Eagles have key player personnel decisions to make this offseason and have given head coach Chip Kelly all the power to do so. While players like Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy are seeing their futures with the franchise put into question, all eyes are currently focused on the quarterback play. Mark Sanchez has an expiring contract while Nick Foles will be needing a new deal after sitting out a majority of the season with an injury. Chip Kelly is giving very hints on his plans, but Marcus Mariota will not be in them.
There has been a lot of speculation regarding the Eagles' interest in Mariota and for obvious reasons. Kelly was responsible for recruiting Mariota to Oregon in the first place and has experience coaching the quarterback, understanding exactly what he is capable of on the field. When Mariota won the Heisman trophy, Kelly sang his praises and made it clear that the star would be very successful in the NFL. However, that does not mean Kelly is looking to draft the Oregon star to Philadelphia.
According to John Smallwood of Philly.com, there is no way the Eagles make a draft-day jump to grab Mariota who has yet to declare for the NFL. If the Eagles intended to get Mariota, they would have to jump 19 spots in order to have the No. 1 overall pick from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because that is likely what it would take to get the quarterback. That is a huge gamble for Philadelphia who would most likely sacrifice a good portion of their picks for one player.
Speculation is there simply because Kelly has never acted truly invested in Foles as his starter. It is no secret that Kelly favors an uptempo offense and a mobile quarterback, two things that Foles does well, but not great. He wins games for Philadelphia, but has struggled with consistency, especially at the start of the 2014 season. His injury and expiring deal appeared to be the perfect excuse to replace him, but Smallwood rights that Foles is still viewed as a viable option to be the franchise quarterback.
If Kelly were to still seek a quarterback in the draft at a high round, he could look to UCLA's Brett Hundley, Colorado State's Garrett Graham or Cincinnati's Gunner Kiel. All three quarterbacks are mobile and can operate a quick offense. They might not be ready to start immediately, but could spend a season sitting behind Foles allowing Kelly to develop them for when the quarterback's contract expires.
