April 14, 2016
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Philadelphia Eagles have had talks with the Tennessee Titans about trading up to the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
The #Eagles have had exploratory talks about moving up to No. 1, as have others. To get their franchise QB, the belief is they'd have to.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 13, 2016
Rapoport also stated what should be obvious, but isn't to some.
#Eagles have Sam Bradford & Chase Daniel on their roster on 2- & 3-year contracts. Neither will prevent Philly from taking a QB in the draft
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 13, 2016
Last week we identified a long-term answer at quarterback as the Eagles most pressing need heading into the draft.
As we know, the Eagles signed Sam Bradford to a two-year deal worth $36 million, $22 million of which is fully guaranteed. That deal puts Bradford among the top half of starting quarterbacks in the NFL, earnings-wise, even though he has never been close to the top half of the league's performers. The Eagles were likely to achieve a shorter, less risky deal long-term by paying him a figure higher than many of his more successful peers. That's the trade-off for being able to escape his contract with manageable pain after one year, and no pain after two.
The shorter duration of the deal indicates that the Eagles are not sold on Bradford as a long-term answer at quarterback.
In free agency, the Eagles then went out and signed the Chiefs' Chase Daniel to a lucrative deal. His deal is a three-year contract worth $21 million ($12 million guaranteed). That number can escalate to $36 million in incentives based on playing time, wins, and playoff appearances, but he would need to be the starting quarterback to reach those incentives.
Bradford gives the Eagles short-term competence, while Daniel gives them a capable long-term backup.
The Eagles are going to draft a quarterback. It's only a matter of who and in what round. Smoke is building that they will be aggressive and try to trade up from the eighth overall pick to get North Dakota State's Carson Wentz or Cal's Jared Goff.
