TAMPA Bay needs a QB, and the smart money is on them taking Oregon QB [Marcus Mariota]. With this not being a great draft for QB’s, and with one of the top two options electing to stay in college, Chip Kelly won’t be able to land Mariota unless he can swing a trade with Tampa Bay. But what could we offer Tampa Bay that would get them to part with that pick? This is where McCoy comes in.

Now before anybody starts crying about how stupid that would be, let me tell you I don’t like the idea either. However I look at ALL of the angles and the more I consider it, the more likely this scenario seems.

I’m thinking the Eagles could decide to package RB LeSean McCoy, QB Nick Foles, and our first round pick (20^th overall) in exchange for Tampa’s 1st rounder (1st overall), and maybe a 3^rd rounder or RB Bobby Rainey instead.

Seems like a lot at first, but let’s take a closer look shall we?

There is no way Tampa trades that pick without satisfying their QB need. This is where Foles comes in. Remember the glowing votes of confidence (Exhibit A and Exhibit B) that Kelly and Jeff Lurie gave Foles about being the starter in 2015? No you don’t because neither man would even say he’d be back for OTA’s. If the decision has been made to move on from Foles, then moving him to help get his replacement is no big deal at all.

So why would Tampa Bay want Foles if we don’t? He and Mariota would be coming out of similar versions of one system. The difference is, Foles has shown he can be an NFL QB, while Mariota has yet to. While the point of Kelly drafting Mariota would be to have QB better suited to Kelly’s system, Tampa Bay wouldn’t be running that system, and therefore would just need a QB who could be a viable NFL starter.

Tampa needs a pass rusher, but we don’t have one we can spare that would help trigger this trade. However, they also could use a RB. Doug Martin had a great rookie season, but since then has missed 15 of 32 games with injuries and has been inconsistent when he has played. Generally he’s been less effective than his back-up, the aforementioned Rainey. Dangling McCoy would seriously sweeten that pot, and it would also save us some serious cap space.

I’m not crazy about trading McCoy, but I first mentioned that it might happen, back in June. Most fans dismissed it and said I was nuts, only to find themselves back here asking me about it again by November, because of all the rumors swirling by late October. By the way: If we did pull the trigger, replacing McCoy wouldn’t be as hard as most may think. (I won’t get into that now though.)

Now here is why Tampa might want to do this deal: They still get a 1^st round pick and could then use it on a pass rusher. One trade and they address three needs in a way they couldn’t with that pick or by trading with any other team in the NFL. It’s an offer they almost couldn’t refuse.

If this is going to happen I think it should happen sooner rather than later. If we drag our feet Tampa could address their pass rusher need by signing FA DE Brandon Graham away from our OLB spot in March, since he wants to play in a 4-3 anyway.

The more you look at it as a business decision, the smarter this seems for both sides.

So who could we replace McCoy with: How about one of these guys ?