March 23, 2016
BOCA RATON, Fla. - A report emerged about a week ago about a huge offer the Eagles made to move up from 20th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft all the way up to second overall, where they would have drafted Marcus Mariota.
Appearing on "The Herd" with Colin Cowherd, Peter Schrager of FOX Sports detailed the Eagles' offer (h/t to Liam Jenkins of phillysportsnetwork.com on the find):
“Last year the Eagles offered the Tennessee Titans, and I know this, a 2015 1st round pick, a 2015 2nd round pick, a 2016 1st round pick, take any of our quarterbacks - that’s Bradford, that’s Sanchez, that’s whoever - take anyone on our defense.”
Speaking at the NFL owners meetings, Chip Kelly denied those reports.
"No," said Kelly. "Tennessee never was trading. Tampa Bay was never trading. I know Ed (Marynowitz) talked to both (Titans GM) Ruston (Webster) and (Buccaneers GM) Jason Licht, and they weren’t moving off their picks. There was no offer made."
While clearly the Eagles discussed trade compensation packages, Kelly has consistently denied ever making any hard offers. After the first day of the 2015 draft, Kelly likened the compensation to a home he could not afford.
"We didn't offer any players to anybody," said Kelly. "We didn't get into any discussions. It was just a really steep price. It was like driving into a nice neighborhood and looking at a house, and they tell you the price and you walk away. We didn't walk in the front door and take a look around."
Who offered/demanded what for Mariota remains a mystery.
