It appears as though the fate of whether or not former Oregon Duck quarterback Marcus Mariota will reunite with coach Chip Kelly in Philadelphia lies in the hands of the Cleveland Browns.
Jayson Braddock, the writer who broke the news of cornerback Byron Maxwell signing with the Eagles in early March, tweeted the following early Thursday morning, based on information from his source:
Source says the key to Mariota is whether the Browns want Bradford or Mariota more. Cleveland in the driver seat. Philly needs Browns picks.
Sam Bradford was acquired by the Philadelphia Eagles on March 10 in a surprise move which sent Nick Foles, who had a 27:2 TD-INT ratio in 2013, to the St. Louis Rams. The Eagles also sent their fourth round pick in this year's draft, as well as their second round pick next season, and received in return the Rams' fifth round pick for this season, and a conditional pick for next season.
NJ.com's Eliot Shorr-Parks writes:
The Browns' interest in Bradford is crucial for the Eagles, as they could try to flip the quarterback for one of the Browns' first-round picks (No. 12 or No. 19), and then use that pick in a package to land Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Whether Cleveland wants Bradford enough to get this trade to come to fruition will be tough to decipher. Just recently, however, Bradford reportedly desires a no-trade clause, and he will not sign an extension with any other team but the Eagles.
When Bradford's introductory press conference was held in March, Chip Kelly revealed that a team offered the Eagles a first round pick in exchange for the quarterback. This team has been speculated to be the Browns.
Only time will tell how this all plays out, and whether or not Marcus Mariota will be an Eagle at the conclusion of the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft later this evening.
Matt Rappa (@mattrappa) is a contributor to Eagledelphia.com.
