The Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have discussed a massive trade involving Nick Foles, LeSean McCoy and three first round picks for the right to get the number one overall pick, which the Eagles would use to draft Marcus Mariota, as Chip Kelly is very interested in moving up and if that deal eventually goes down, Doug Martin also could be involved.
UPDATE: Some late breaking news, reports have the Eagles trading LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills for linebacker Kiko Alonso.
The Buccaneers have the number one overall pick and so far all signs point to the team taking Jameis Winston with that selection. According to Buccaneers reporter Pat Yasinskas at ESPN, there was some talk last week about a potential blockbuster deal going down, with "rumors" circulating about the Eagles and Tampa Bay talking a deal involving Nick Foles and LeSean McCoy to get the number one pick. Yasinskas later said he could not confirm if talks happened, but the rumors were there over the weekend.
All the talk plays into what the Eagles are hoping to do this offseason, but that price would be very steep, no matter what player it is. Eagles fans, media members and those in the NFL have given opinions about trading up for Mariota and on PTI Tony Kornheiser put it this way, saying that if Kelly saw Mariota as the "perfect fit" for his system, he should trade for him no matter what. Kornheiser added that nothing in the NFL is guaranteed and while Kelly is the toast of Philly right now, that could change soon and he may want "his own" quarterback as his starter rather than a pick from another regime, which is what Foles is.
McCoy is an interesting part of all this, as he is one of the top running backs in the league. There were reports earlier in the season that the Eagles wanted him to take a pay cut, but right now the "contract is no problem" for the team, according to Phil Sheridan at ESPN.com. McCoy is making a high salary and has a $12 million cap number after signing a five-year, $45-million deal in 2012.
All offseason there have been numerous reports involving the Eagles making various moves and the endgame is always the same: reuniting Marcus Mariota with Chip Kelly in Philly. NJ.com reported earlier in the offseason that the Eagles were "plotting multiple" moves to get up to draft Mariota, including potentially trading Foles. The website also reported that the St. Louis Rams and Houston Texans were considered potential options for Foles and that could be part of the Eagles moving up to get Mariota.
The Rams have Sam Bradford on the roster, but he is coming back after an ACL injury and since they pick at number 10, they could be a target for the Eagles. Getting the number 10 pick could allow the Eagles to move up into the top five or top two, as teams like the Jets and Browns also could be looking at Mariota. If the team doesn't pull off the massive deal, they could look at the Titans as a target, as they have the number two pick and also could be interested in trading for a QB over taking Mariota.
