NFL Rumors: Breaking Down Trade Buzz and Possible Deals at Draft

Let's not waste much time beating around the bush—everybody wants to know what is going to happen at the NFL draft after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft Jameis Winston because, let's be honest, we all know the Bucs are drafting Winston.

Ah, but what will the Tennessee Titans do with that No. 2 overall pick? Who will end up with Marcus Mariota? What sort of crazy scenario will result in Chip Kelly ending up with his former Oregon quarterback? 

Let's see if we can piece all of the buzz together. 

The first piece of misinformation—because most of these "rumors" are just misinformation from teams with agendas—comes via Bob Holtzman of ESPN:

This is interesting for two reasons. The first is that the San Diego Chargers weren't mentioned at all, which might have something to do with this report from Adam Schefter via NFL on ESPN:

The second is that the Philadelphia Eagles weren't mentioned. The reason for that could be that the two teams aren't talking—or the reason is that the teams are indeed talking and the mention of the other teams was leaked for some reason, likely to create the impression of a vibrant market to drive up the price for the No. 2 pick. 

Of course, it isn't as though the Eagles aren't being linked to the pick, as Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean tweeted:

And if you like to read tea leaves, Tennessee general manager Ruston Webster spoke directly with Holtzman, and the message seems to favor a possible deal with the Eagles:

Why does this favor the Eagles?

Well, there are a few reasons. For starters, if the Titans were getting a quarterback in any deal, who do you think they would want. Geno Smith? Unlikely. Johnny Manziel. Why not just draft Mariota, a better version of Manziel? Nick Foles? Maybe, but Kelly's offensive system covered up a lot of flaws. Foles is an average quarterback, at best.  

But more than likely, of all those quarterbacks, Sam Bradford would be their choice.

And indeed, if Philadelphia is going to be involved in some sort of deal, it is going to have to include players in the package unless it just gives Tennessee an insane assortment of picks in the coming years. And Bradford is going to be one of those players, one would guess, even if he doesn't end up in Tennessee. 

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk thinks this is where the Cleveland Browns could enter the fray:

"

The key to putting the various pieces together could be the 12th overall pick, currently held by the Browns.

It would require the Eagles to strike a deal with the Browns, which would send Bradford to Cleveland and the 12th pick to Tennessee.  Presumably, the Eagles would have to give up even more to Cleveland — and possibly would have to assume the contract of quarterback Johnny Manziel.

"

What a tangled web we weave.

It gets more tangled. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, the Eagles could potentially make a deal for Mariota without the Browns being involved that would include sending their No. 20 pick this year and first-rounder next year along with Bradford, defensive lineman Fletcher Cox and linebacker Mychal Kendricks.

Furthermore, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com has reported that Brandon Boykin is on the trade block, while Albert Breer of NFL.com noted that Evan Mathis could be dealt, per Dan Hanzus of NFL.com.

Now, if all of this sounds like a fever dream to you, well, you aren't alone. Aditi Kinkhabwala threw a cold bucket of water on the city of Philadelphia with this tweet:

Of course, would anybody be shocked if the NFC team executive cited hailed from Dallas, Washington or New York? After all, if you think Kelly is going to trade the farm to get a quarterback seemingly built to run his system, you might want to leak something to drive up the price a bit, right? 

Oh, and here's the other thing, per Rapoport:

This is why you can't truly believe any reports on the day of the draft. Remember, folks, every single team has an agenda and every piece of "leaked information" serves a very specific purpose. Conflicting reports are the name of the game. 

There's surely more at play here, of course. The Jets could move up for the No. 2 pick. The Cleveland Browns could package their Nos. 12 and 19 picks in an attempt to get Mariota. A surprise team could emerge. Or, in what may be the craziest development of them all at this point, the Titans could simply keep the pick and take the quarterback themselves. 

The moment of truth may only be hours away, but for several franchises, the next decade could be altered, for better or worse, in that time.