The first round of the NFL Draft is officially over and the Philadelphia Eagles did not get Marcus Mariota. While head coach Chip Kelly made it clear this would be the result, every draft analyst in the business believed the Eagles were preparing to do whatever it took to get the former Oregon quarterback. Down to the very last minute the Eagles were rumored to be offering a lot for Mariota, but does coming up empty handed mean Sam Bradford really is the quarterback of the future for the franchise?
According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles made big offers to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans to try and acquire a top two pick. Sources report the team offered everyone from Bradford to Mychal Kendricks and Fletcher Cox, but no one budged and the Eagles lost out on acquiring Mariota. Eagles' fans are likely split on whether or not the team is better off for the move. Mariota has certainly found success under the eye of Kelly and now the team is left to the arm of Bradford which may or may not be successful.
Now the question becomes just how committed Philadelphia is to the quarterback. According to Mark Eckel of NJ.com, the Eagles have brushed the topic of contract negotiations with the quarterback, but Bradford wants a no-trade clause in his deal which is holding things up. As a result, it is unlikely any type of contract gets finalized as Bradford enters the final year of his rookie deal.
Bradford has the upper hand with the Eagles. After not acquiring Mariota, the Eagles really have no other viable starting options unless Mark Sanchez suddenly improves. ProFootballTalk.com's Mike Florio writes that Philadelphia would love to knock down Bradford's $12.985 million salary cap hit and an extension is the best way to make that happen, but the quarterback holds the power over Philadelphia right now and will use that to his advantage.
The next step for the Eagles could be to try and push a trade for Matt Barkley. After adding Tim Tebow to the roster, Barkley is expendable and has been rumored to be on the trade block for some time now. According to Sanchez via ESPN.com, Tebow was brought in to simply be a camp arm while Bradford gets healthy. If that is the case, Barkley will be needed. The chances Tebow makes the final roster are slim, the Eagles must be careful in order to keep their quarterback depth considering Bradford's injury history.
