The NFL draft is a day away and Marcus Mariota has become a target for the Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers and NY Jets and there is a chance that the Chargers could look at a trade with Philip Rivers in the hopes of getting Mariota, while the Bears could look at trading Cutler to the Tennessee Titans for the second pick.
Mariota is considered to be the second rated quarterback in the draft behind Jameis Winston and he is generating interest from a number of teams. According to Adam Schefter at ESPN, the NY Jets, Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers, Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears have all been interested in drafting Mariota.
The Jets have already worked out the quarterback and the Chargers have also met with Mariota and this comes as the Buccaneers and Titans are considering him with the number one pick. The Titans have the number two pick in the draft and the key to Mariota is with them, as they have a need at the position and could take the quarterback.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Chargers' interest in Mariota is real and the team could consider trading Philip Rivers to the Titans to move up to draft the quarterback. UT San Diego reporter Kevin Acee reported a couple weeks ago that there was "serious" talk of the Chargers moving up to get Mariota. Pro Football Talk picked up on a report from David Climer of the Tennesseean that said the Titans and Chargers could be partners for a deal if Rivers was involved.
Tom Telesco and the Chargers have said that the team is not looking to trade Rivers, but with the quarterback coming into the final year of his contract, his future with the franchise is uncertain. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported last month that it would take "multiple first-round picks" for Rivers, but if the second overall pick was involved, it could change things.
Rivers has a connection to the Titans, as he had one of his best career seasons stats-wise with Tennessee head coach Ken Whisenhunt was the offensive coordinator. The Titans also have enough cap space to take on Rivers' contract, which will be a $17 million cap hit for next season. Rivers completed 69 percent of his passes in 2013 under Whisenhunt, which is a career high and he also had 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, which were each his best numbers in either category since 2008.
The Bears have also emerged as a potential team in all of this, as CBS Sports and Jason Cole at Bleacher Report have reported that Chicago may consider trading Jay Cutler. Earlier in the offseason Cutler was mentioned in trade rumors, but after part of his 2016 salary became guaranteed, it looked like the team would be sticking with him at quarterback.
The Bears have the number seven pick in the draft and now could be in the mix for Mariota and if they make a move, Cutler likely would be involved. Other teams that could be interested in Cutler or Rivers includes the Jets, Browns and Bills.
