Everyone in the NFL is wondering what's running through Chip Kelly's mind right now. On Wednesday, the Eagles coach offered some insight.
One thing Kelly made very clear during an impromptu press conference: The Eagles are all in on new quarterback Sam Bradford and have no plans -- now anyway -- to make a draft day play for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.
"Let's dispel that right now," Kelly said. "I think that stuff's crazy. You guys have been going with that stuff all along. I think Marcus is the best quarterback in the draft. We will never mortgage our future to go all the way up to get somebody like that because we have too many holes to take care of."
Kelly, in his typically feisty mood with reporters, later said that a team had offered a first-round pick in exchange for Bradford on Wednesday morning. Kelly expressed confidence in his in-house options, which include recently re-signed Mark Sanchez. Kelly was asked if Bradford was his quarterback moving forward.
"Both Sam and Mark are," he said. "And I think we have to have two. It was really essential for us to get Mark back here and then when the opportunity with St. Louis came up to get Sam, same exact thing. Do you want to lose Nick Foles? No, you don't want to lose Nick Foles, but you have to give something up to get something. The deal with Sam Bradford, if he never tore his ACL, he'd never be traded."
Some other highlights from an entertaining back-and-forth between Kelly and Philly scribes:
» Kelly praised LeSean McCoy as the best running back in Eagles' history, but explained the financial realities of the salary cap prompted the blockbuster trade with Buffalo. "The money that was freed up -- we looked at it as we got Kiko Alonso and Byron Maxwell for LeSean McCoy."
» Kelly threw some shade at the Bills for leaking the McCoy-Kiko Alonso trade before Kelly had a chance to speak with his now former running back. The two men still have not spoken. "He found out because Buffalo jumped the gun and called someone else and we told Buffalo we weren't happy with that. But there's nothing you can do about getting it back."
» Was that Kelly making a comparison between Bradford and Drew Brees? Yes it was. "If you talk about the Saints, I think their revival and what happened down there was their acquisition of Drew Brees, who a lot of people failed in the medical ... but I think maybe they just didn't do enough due diligence in terms of counting Drew Brees out."
» Kelly confirmed that linebacker DeMeco Ryans will return. Ryans' future was up in the air after the Alonso move. Ryans is coming back from a torn Achilles' tendon.
» Kelly with a heat check when asked if Bradford would be used as a trade chip. "We didn't bring Sam in here to be a chip. I'm the only Chip here." Ya burnt!
The latest Around The NFL Podcast breaks down every trade and free-agent signing and discusses the impact of Darrelle Revis' return to the Jets. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
