NFL Rumors: One Team Could Trade Their Franchise Quarterback To Draft Marcus Mariota

There hasn’t been a year with this many rumors surrounding an NFL Draft pick in a long time, and maybe ever. Marcus Mariota isn’t even seen as the number one overall pick anymore — that appears to belong to Jameis Winston — but he’s still in the spotlight. Now, there is even one NFL team rumored to be trading away their long-term franchise quarterback to get Mariota.

Marcus Mariota has been rumored to be going to the Washington Redskins, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, and others. No reports have really said he would end up with the Tennessee Titans, and they actually own the second overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Now, there are reports that one team could possibly trade away their long-term quarterback to move up and draft Mariota, and that’s the San Diego Chargers.

… The Chargers are set to work out Marcus Mariota on April 15. And I’m told the Redskins are setting up a visit for Mariota in Ashburn.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 28, 2015

That visit to San Diego is coming up soon and it’s been known for a couple of weeks now, but it’s only intensified the rumors. As the Washington Post put it, the Chargers bringing in Mariota for a private workout may not spell good news for Philip Rivers.

San Diego has the 17th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, which begins on April 30, but it would take more than that to get Tennessee to trade the second pick. If they threw Philip Rivers in with that mid-first round pick, the deal could be sweetened enough for them to bite.

San Diego Chargers general manager Tom Telesco has not ruled out trading Rivers, and the quarterback says he won’t sign a new contract before his current deal expires after 2015. He would have to agree to a new deal before being traded, but perhaps Tennessee won’t be so bad a landing spot.

It may be hard to believe that such a trade could happen, but there are a lot of rumors going around, and they will only heat up as the 2015 NFL Draft draws closer.

Many teams have a lot of interest in Marcus Mariota, and the San Diego Chargers are now one of them. They may even be interested enough to trade away Philip Rivers, but things may become a bit clearer after Mariota’s private workout for the Chargers later this week.

[Image via Chargers.com]