A year ago, with the dust having settled from the whirlwind start of free agency for the Eagles, fans were captivated with Marcus Mariota fever. The multiple-month buildup to the 2015 NFL Draft was all about how Chip Kelly was going to orchestrate a trade to land him his prodigal quarterback who was tailor-made to run his offense. Radio stations, media outlets and fans alike came up with all sorts of proposals to try and pry the 2nd overall pick away from the Titans so the Eagles could acquire the franchise quarterback they so desired.
Draft night came and went and Mariota instead became that figure for Titans fans. The Eagles stood pat with the 20th overall pick and selected Nelson Agholor from USC. Kelly is now the coach of the 49ers and the quarterback he did acquire via trade: Sam Bradford is the guy going into 2016. What a difference a year makes.
There was no doubt it was going to take the 'kitchen sink' and more to pry the 2nd pick from a Titans team desperate for talent. It turns out Tennessee had no interest in giving up their opportunity to draft Mariota. Considering the reported offer that Kelly made to try and make the first round jump, it'll be easy to see why that was the case.
FoxSports NFL Insider Peter Schrager was appearing on Colin Cowherd's radio show 'The Herd'. Schrager unveiled the colossal offer Kelly made to the Titans for the 2nd pick.
"Last year, the Eagles offered the Tennessee Titans, and I know this. A 2015 first round pick, a 2015 second round pick, a 2016 first round pick and they said 'take any of our quarterbacks,'"
"That's Sam Bradford, that's Sanchez, that's whoever. And, they said, take anyone on our defense. We want that No. 2 pick. We want Marcus Mariota."
(h/t to NJ.com's Matt Lombardo for the transcribed quotes)
Though there are those who are on both sides of the fence of this supposed offer, it's hard to imagine a team even considering anything less than this for a top-two pick with a pair of franchise-caliber quarterback prospects at the top. The Eagles 1st round pick (20th overall) was not a particularly attractive one and it would have cost the Titans a shot at significantly upgrading their talent. Tennessee likely would have insisted upon Fletcher Cox coming over in the trade, but he would be the only elite-caliber piece in the offer. There's no way of knowing where the Eagles would have been picking in the 2016 Draft had Mariota been at the helm, but it's difficult to imagine they would have finished much worse or better than they did. It does not surprise me at all that the Titans passed on this offer. At the end of the day, Eagles fans would probably be best to close the book on the Marcus Mariota chapter of their lives.
Somers Price is a contributor for Eagledelphia.com and can be followed on Twitter @somersprice
