Eagles Reportedly Turned Down Nick Foles for Josh Gordon Trade in 2013

Imagine for a moment Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles wearing a Cleveland Browns uniform. Now, imagine that wide receiver Josh Gordon had spent the past two seasons catching passes in Philadelphia, not Cleveland.    

Apparently, that was a possibility, according to Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com:

"

The Philadelphia Eagles turned down a trade that would have brought them Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon at the start of the 2013 NFL season. 

The price for Gordon, according to a source familiar with the discussions: quarterback Nick Foles. 

A little context helps here. Gordon was facing a two-game suspension for violating the NFL substance abuse policy. Foles had just been named the Eagles’ No. 2 quarterback after losing a competition with Michael Vick during the preseason. 

The Browns, who had Jason Campbell and Brandon Weeden as their top two quarterbacks, wanted Foles as their starter. At that point, former Eagles president Joe Banner was running the Browns. Banner had been with the Eagles in 2012 when they drafted Foles. 

"

Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho reacted to the news on Twitter:

It's hardly surprising. While the Eagles did have Michael Vick at quarterback at the time, it's hard to imagine they saw him as anything other than a temporary solution given his age. And while Jeremy Maclin did tear his ACL in July 2013, the Eagles still had DeSean Jackson as their No. 1 receiver.   

Plus, the fact that head coach Chip Kelly eventually cut Jackson after the 2013 season, despite a career year from the player—presumably because of Jackson's attitude and fit in the locker room—makes it hard to imagine Kelly would sign off on a player in Gordon who would have been suspended at the very start of his Eagles career.

Still, it's fun to imagine how different things might have been in Cleveland and Philadelphia over the past two years. The Eagles wouldn't have had Foles as a backup to Vick, who got hurt in 2013 and paved the way for Foles' 27-touchdown, two-interception season and an NFC East title.

The Browns may not have ever drafted Johnny Manziel and perhaps would have kept the No. 4 pick last year and selected Sammy Watkins. 

With Gordon now facing a possible season-long suspension in 2015, the Eagles certainly came out of this non-trade on top. While Foles may not be the future quarterback of the team—he regressed in a big way in 2014—he's still a trade chip, if nothing else, especially if they attempt to go after Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota in this year's draft. 

As for the Browns, Manziel's future is uncertain, the team lacks a true No. 1 receiver with Gordon suspended, and the playoff drought continues. It's hard to imagine they'd be worse off with Foles right now than they are without him.