The San Diego Chargers may consider a Philip Rivers trade this offseason to move up to get Marcus Mariota in the draft and the Tennessee Titans could be a target for that deal over the New York Jets, as the Titans have the number two pick and may forego taking Mariota if they can get a player like Rivers or Jay Cutler from the Bears.
There are just a few weeks left until the NFL draft and with Jameis Winston looking like he will go number one, teams are starting to focus on the Titans and Mariota. Mariota is considered to be the number two quarterback in the draft and if Winston goes to Tampa, teams like the Bears, Chargers, Browns and Jets could be interested in trading up for the quarterback. The Titans also have a need at quarterback, but they could stick with Zach Mettenberger and trade the pick, or they could keep it and avoid the position.
Some draft experts think the Titans will sit tight and take Leonard Williams, as he is considered to be the top defensive player in the draft. According to Pro Football Talk, the Titans will have the chance to trade the pick if they want, as the Chargers, Browns and Jets are considered "serous" suitors for Mariota. Last season Mariota took his team to the national title game and won the Heisman trophy while playing for Oregon.
The Chargers have scheduled a workout with Mariota and since they have the number 17 pick in the first round, many have started to speculate they could trade up for the QB. According to David Climer at the Tennesseean, the Titans could be interested in trading for Rivers, as they likely will not be tacking a QB if they keep the number two pick. The team likely will go after Leonard Williams if they keep the pick, but as the draft gets closer, a trade looks likely.
The Bears are a team in the mix for Mariota and they have Jay Cutler as their main piece to try and trade and the Titians could look at both deals. The Titans may want Mariota, but they likely could get a package of picks for the trade of the number two selection and getting Rivers would also be big for a team that has not had a franchise QB in years.
Climer writes that the Titans have the cap space to handle taking on Rivers' contract and since he has not signed a new deal with the Chargers, his future is up in the air. Rivers said he has no problem playing out the final year of his deal and that could be a main factor in things. The Titans also have a connection with head coach Ken Whisenhunt, as he was in San Diego as the offensive coordinator for Rivers when he had one of his best seasons.
Whisenhunt was the OC in San Diego in 2013 and that saw Rivers have a very productive year. That season Rivers had a career best 69 percent completion percentage and he also had 32 touchdowns with just 11 interceptions.
