Why Sam Bradford Is Philadelphia Eagles' Best Remaining Bargaining Chip

With still a month to go before the 2015 NFL draft, quarterback Sam Bradford remains Chip Kelly's best remaining bargaining chip.

Kelly acquired Bradford just two weeks ago in a shocking player-for-player trade involving a swap of Nick Foles for Bradford, along with a few draft picks. The fact that the Philadelphia Eagles also sent a 2016 second-round pick could suggest Kelly is ready to invest in Bradford as "his guy."

Then again, Kelly hasn't yet offered a ringing endorsement of Bradford. He was quick to mention in his initial post-trade press conference that the Eagles were already offered a first-round pick for Bradford. He hasn't yet extended Bradford, meaning as it stands now, Bradford is set to hit free agency after the 2015 season.

And there's the whole Marcus Mariota factor.

Kelly's former college quarterback is a highly talented prospect, fresh off a Heisman Trophy and a national championship game appearance. He's a choir boy off the field and a multidimensional threat as both a runner and passer. That should make him a top-two quarterback taken in the draft (behind Florida State's Jameis Winston), and a likely top-10 pick.

The Eagles don't pick until the 20th selection, which means it's highly unlikely Mariota is available for the taking without Kelly trading up, and Kelly has already declared he won't "mortgage the future" for one player, likely a reference to what the Washington Redskins did in 2012 to obtain the rights to Robert Griffin III.

But what if finds a way to trade for Mariota without mortgaging the future?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will almost assuredly take Jameis Winston first overall, the consensus top-rated prospect. If the Tennessee Titans do pass on Mariota—choosing to build upon last year's sixth-round rookie Zach Mettenberger—the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders aren't going to take a quarterback.

The Redskins have invested too much in RGIII to move on already. If the New York Jets decline on Mariota at No. 6, Kelly will likely move up. Considering St. Louis (10) or Cleveland (12) may take Mariota, the Eagles may have to leapfrog those teams.

And to be fair, when you like a quarterback enough, it's never mortgaging your future, because he is your future.

Say Kelly wanted to package Bradford in a trade to get Mariota. The Browns have reportedly offered the second of their two first-round picks for Mariota. At this point, they're likely going to want more considering it's no secret how much Kelly wants Mariota.

Could the Eagles get the Browns' 12th overall pick for Bradford and Mychal Kendricks? Kendricks is a blossoming star entering his contract season. The fact that he hasn't been extended yet and Philadelphia recently acquired a similar player in Kiko Alonso—plus 31-year-old DeMeco Ryans is still on the team at $6.9 million, according to Spotrac, and fresh off an Achilles injury—suggests Kendricks may be expendable.

If the Eagles do that trade, they could likely package their two first-round picks (picks 12 and 20), next year's first-round pick and a mid-round draft pick for the Jets' No. 6 selection.

Is that mortgaging the future? Not if Kelly really believes Mariota is his guy.

If there's one thing about Kelly, it's that he's extremely picky about his players. He's essentially spent the offseason building his team.

He traded away the franchise's all-time leading rusher and signed a one-cut zone runner in DeMarco Murray who better fits the system. He's shown he likes big receivers that can block, versatile offensive linemen, tall and long corners and versatile safeties that can cover.

There's no way Kelly is really satisfied with Bradford, a mediocre player who hasn't proven he can stay healthy.

He could probably get a Pro Bowl season out of Bradford. After all, Kelly helped Foles put up one of the highest single-season passer ratings in NFL history, and Foles is just a former third-round pick with a limited skill set. Bradford has a much more lively arm, and he ran a similar offense in college to what Kelly does at the NFL level.

So that's likely why Kelly went out of his way to acquire Bradford. He's a big fan of his talent and knows Bradford could likely play well in the Philly offense.

But there's no way Bradford is Kelly's franchise quarterback. He's a solid fallback option should Mariota escape Kelly's grasp, but it's likely history merely remembers Bradford as a trade chip in the ultimate plan to get Mariota.