The Philadelphia Eagles have yet to give any indications about their intentions regarding the quarterback position which is leading to a large amount of speculation. When Chip Kelly took over as head coach, the quarterback position appeared set with Nick Foles. Kelly stuck with that, but Foles' expiring contract lets the head coach take the position in a number of directions for the future. According to NFL analyst Jon Gruden, Marcus Mariota is Plan A for Philadelphia.
A number of NFL analysts have been linking the Eagles with Mariota simply because of the quarterback's connection with Kelly. The head coach recruited Mariota to Oregon and has constantly referred to the Heisman winner as one of the best quarterbacks he has ever coached. That has opened the Eagles up to a number of draft trade rumors, ones that Gruden believes are true.
Gruden noted that Mariota is the perfect quarterback for Kelly's system, but he is not sure whether or not the Heisman winner is worth multiple first-round picks to acquire. However, Gruden does believe Kelly is extremely interested in at least attempting to strike a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the No. 1 overall pick.
"Chip Kelly, I'm sure, is gonna be looking for quarterbacks-we all do," Gruden said, via CSNPhilly.com. "And I'm sure that Marcus Mariota is on his speed dial."
For now, any team interested in Mariota will likely have to wait until his Pro Day to see him throw, something that will not hurt his draft stock. The Oregon quarterback confirmed to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that he is recovering from a sprained AC joint suffered in the loss to Ohio State. That will not factor into his draft status as most assume Mariota is going No. 1 overall regardless.
For Philadelphia to acquire the top pick and get Mariota, they will likely have to offer up multiple first-round picks and potentially a player to sweeten the deal. Nick Foles could be traded. LeSean McCoy could be traded. According to CSNPhilly.com, everything is on the table right now. The Eagles have not talked with Foles about a potential contract extension with the team as he enters the final year of his deal.
If Kelly believes that Mariota is his guy for the future, then the Eagles will do what it takes to get him. They made the head coach in charge of player personnel for a reason. Mariota and Kelly have solid history together that could easily translate to the NFL.
