ESPN's Sal Paolantonio sent Philadelphia Eagles fans abuzz this morning when he reported on ESPN that the Eagles were one of the front runners to land Marcus Mariota.
Sal Pal went on to 97.5 the Fanatic to provide further insight to his report. He said that he spoke to people inside Mariota's camp, who indicated that the Chargers and Eagles are the front runners:
Paolantonio: "I talked to a source in Mariota's camp that this is a 2 team race. Chargers/Eagles with Browns and Rams still in the mix."
— 975TheFanatic (@975TheFanatic) April 29, 2015
Sal Pal told 97.5 the Fanatic that this was consistent with the wide spread speculation he was hearing around the league, and that he would not rule out an Eagles trade for Mariota:
Paolantonio does not rule out the #Eagles on Mariota "People are saying that Chip does not have enough. But we know Chip is unconventional."
— 975TheFanatic (@975TheFanatic) April 29, 2015
He went on to say that those closest to Chip Kelly are convinced Chip Kelly will get the deal done:
Sal Pal: Last night former Oregon Defensive Coordinator "He believes Kelly is still working on finding a way to get Mariota"
— Patrick (@PhillySportsJD) April 29, 2015
However, before Eagles fans get too excited, Sal Pal also said that he believes the Chargers have the inside track to landing Mariota because they have Philip Rivers:
Paolantonio believes the Chargers have the upper hand with Rivers: "The Eagles have to outbid San Diego. The Chragers have the "blue-Chip"
— 975TheFanatic (@975TheFanatic) April 29, 2015
Sal Pal referenced the following report from Chris Mortenson to suggest that Bradford will not be a part of any trade up to get Mariota:
Eagles acquired Bradford to be their QB. No trade pawn. He'd only sign ext w Philly with no-trade clause. Wants to play for Chip & Shurmur
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) April 28, 2015
Bradford theoretically could have fetched a first round pick that could have then been used to trade up for Mariota. Removing Bradford from the equation seems to reduce the likelihood that the Eagles can trade up to get their guy.
But is a trade even necessary? I have had reservations about whether the Titans are sincere in their stated interest in Mariota. It seems like they are attempting to manufacture leverage in trade talks in the hopes that it forces a team like the Eagles to give up a king's ransom for the #2 overall pick.
I think when push comes to shove, the Titans will pass on Mariota.
At least one NFL source believes that Mariota could fall much further than expected:
Draft shaping up to have Mariota fall. Could fall right into teens. Most teams don't have him in their top 15-20.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) April 29, 2015
It is worth noting that Allbright reported months in advance that the Eagles were trading for Sam Bradford. So I would not dismiss this report completely.
If that happens, then the Eagles will surely be ecstatic. They can get their guy without mortgaging the future, a win-win scenario by all accounts.
Patrick Causey is a writer at Eagledelphia.com and can be followed on Twitter @PhillySportsJD
