The San Diego Chargers may target Marcus Mariota in the upcoming NFL draft this year and if they trade up with the Tennessee Titans, quarterback Philip Rivers likely would be traded and this comes as teams like the Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles and NY Jets have shown interest in the quarterback from Oregon.
Rivers is coming into the final year of his contract and with his future up in the air, the Chargers may consider making a trade to try and get Mariota. The draft has everyone expecting Jameis Winston to go number one overall and that is why Mariota has become the top trade target for teams. According to Pro Football Talk, rumors about the Chargers and Rivers started last month and while some may see it as "farfetched", the talk has not died down.
The Titans have the number two pick in the draft and they are basically the gatekeepers when it comes to Mariota. The Buccaneers have the top pick and should go after Winston and that means the Titans have the power to dictate what happens at the top of the draft. The Titans could trade the pick and that could mean some major moves for teams like the Browns, Jets or Chargers as well as the Bears. According to Bleacher Report, the Bears may consider trading Jay Cutler to try and move up to get Mariota.
Mariota led Oregon to the national title game and won the Heisman trophy this year and now he could be the second overall pick in the draft. The Titans also could consider taking Mariota and they likely are, but a report from David Climer of the Tennesseean has the team bypassing the quarterback this year. The report says that the team is "unlikely" to use the pick on a quarterback and that could open things up for a trade. If the team sits tight, they likely will take defensive end Leonard Williams, who is considered the best player on defense in this draft.
The Chargers emerged last month as an option for Mariota, as local reports had the team interested in working out the quarterback ahead of the draft. According to ESPN.com, the Chargers have scheduled a private workout with Mariota and the team could consider trading Philip Rivers to move up to take him. The Titans going after Rivers is not that crazy, as Climer points out the team has enough cap space to take on his contract for this year.
The Titans would get draft picks out of the deal along with Rivers and it also would allow the team to decide on whether they want to keep Rivers long term. Adding to it is the connection to Ken Whisenhunt for Rivers, as the Titans head coach was his offensive coordinator in 2013. Rivers had one of his best seasons under Whisenhunt throwing for 32 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions, which at the time was his highest and lowest totals in those categories in a four year stretch.
