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Now that the NFL offseason is here (or at least for some teams), silly speculation and rampant rumors will run amok as teams have the chance to make roster moves in free agency or add talent via the 2014 NFL Draft. This year, not much time was wasted before a national media pundit joined in on the hysteria. So here's a fun one: Grantland writer Bill Barnwell laid out an NFL trade suggestion via his Twitter account that involves the Eagles and their quarterback Nick Foles. This is what Barnwell proposed:
My dream deal: Nick Foles and a 4th to the Bengals, Andy Dalton, #22, and #24 to the Raiders, Johnny Manziel’s draft rights at #5 to Philly.
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) January 7, 2014
And here's his reasoning behind the proposed trade:
Eagles sell high on Foles & get ideal Chip QB, Bengals get big-numbers QB who might be system passer, Raiders get a look at Dalton + picks.
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) January 7, 2014
The idea seems drastic and radical at first glance, but actually makes some sense. The Bengals absolutely need to upgrade at QB if they hope to get further than the first round of the playoffs. He's just not cutting it. As for Oakland, the Raiders would surely welcome some picks to build around while taking a flyer on Dalton.
But where the Eagles come in... that part doesn't seem so reasonable. Nick Foles is coming off a great year having thrown 27 TD to only 2 INT and boasting the league's best passer rating. There's also the fact the Eagles achieved an 8-2 record with him as a starter. With that kind of success, it's hard to see the Eagles "selling high" on a guy that's been so critical for them. Foles will be entering his third season in 2014, so it's possible he shows even more improvement. The Eagles are high on Foles, and Kelly has committed to him as the team's starter moving forward.
It's only natural for Kelly to be linked to college quarterback Johnny Manziel, though. Not only does Manziel seem like an ideal candidate for "Kelly's offense", but Kelly has spoken highly of Manziel before. Manziel revealed that Kelly, who was head coach of the Oregon Ducks at the time, tried to recruit him out of high school.
"I diagrammed some of my favorite plays at Tivy [High], and one of the Oregon coaches said, ‘We literally run the exact same offense with different terminology,’ " Manziel told the San Antonio Express-News three years ago. "Coach Kelly said I was perfect for their system, and I knew I was going to accept as soon as they offered."
Manziel ended up staying close to home by deciding to attend Texas A&M University. Manziel, quite the polarizing figure, has experienced success and controversy at A&M. He will potentially be a first round draft pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
This deal is obviously extremely unlikely to happen. It is possible the Eagles could draft Manziel if he falls to their first round selection at No. 22. Crazier things have happened. It's just hard to see the Eagles giving up on Foles at this point in his career in order to spend a high resource on a lesser known quantity in Manziel. But this is what the beauty of the NFL offseason is all about: rumors and speculation aplenty. Hey, it's fun to dream.
