The Philadelphia Eagles have been among the busiest teams during free agency. Not only did they trade away their top running back and lose their most productive wide receiver, but they pulled off one of the most stunning trades of the winter when they sent quarterback Nick Foles to the St. Louis Rams for quarterback Sam Bradford.
Chip Kelly claims Eagles were offered 1st-round pick for Bradford
The Eagles head coach also shot down any speculation that the team will trade up in the draft to get Marcus Mariota.
When head coach Chip Kelly addressed the media on Wednesday afternoon, he revealed that an unnamed team earlier in the day had offered a first-round pick for the 27-year-old signal caller. As improbable as that may sound, it was rumored that the Buffalo Bills were interested in Bradford, and there were reports that the Cleveland Browns tried to trade for him. Although the Bills don't have a first-round pick, the Browns have two first-rounders in this year's draft.
Kelly said that the Eagles didn't bring Bradford to Philly to simply be a trade chip, and that they see "tremendous upside" in his potential as a quarterback despite his injury history. Bradford is expected to compete for the starting job with Mark Sanchez, who re-signed with Philadelphia on a two-year deal.
When asked the inevitable question about the upcoming draft and Marcus Mariota, Kelly quickly shot down any speculation that the team will trade up for the former Oregon quarterback. He admitted he thought that Mariota is the best quarterback in the draft, but insisted that the Eagles would not “mortgage the future” because they have too many other needs to fill this offseason.
Even before the official free agency period opened, the Eagles sent shockwaves across the league when they traded LeSean McCoy to the Bills for linebacker Kiko Alonso. Kelly justified trading away the franchise's all-time leading rusher for a player who missed all of last season with a torn ACL because, financially, it allowed him to also sign cornerback Byron Maxwell. He didn't want to lose McCoy, but noted that "you have to give something up to get something" in this league.
Kelly also addressed the dynamics of the power and decision-making structure within the Eagles organization. Notably, he confirmed that he would have final say on all moves made this winter and during the draft. However, he is not in charge of the personnel department, per NFL Network’s Albert Breer, and he also confirmed that it was not his decision to initiate the front office shakeup last December, which included the firing of VP of Player Personnel Tom Gamble.
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