Did the Browns offer Philly a first-round pick for Sam Bradford?
Except for sending a press release trumping a local TV broadcast for their April 14 uniform unveiling celebration, the Cleveland Browns have been pretty quiet -- at least publicly -- since the NFL's league year opened on Tuesday afternoon.
Perhaps they've been busy behind the scenes. Specifically, they might have been chasing quarterback Sam Bradford.
After the St. Louis Rams traded Bradford to the Philadelphia Eagles Tuesday in a swap that also included Nick Foles and draft picks from each side, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that other teams had been trying to work a deal with the Rams for Bradford, and that the Browns were one of those teams.
Speaking in Philadelphia Wednesday afternoon, Eagles coach Chip Kelly said he got a call Wednesday morning from a team offering a first-round pick for Bradford.
Kelly didn't mention the team, but he went out of his way to mention the offer.
Maybe he was just defending the trade. Bradford has had his last two seasons ended by torn ACLs, so there's quite a risk involved.
Kelly later said Bradford was not added as a trade chip.
"I'm the only Chip here," Kelly said, confirming that he's a coach, general manager and part-time comedian.
Kelly dispelled the rumor that the Eagles might be interested in trading up in the draft for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, whom Kelly recruited and coached. Kelly said he believes Mariota is the best quarterback in the draft but said the Eagles wouldn't mortgage the future to make that kind of move.
Previous reports and rumors had linked the Browns to both Bradford and Mariota. At least for now, the door has closed on one of them.
