If Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly really believes that Oregon quarterback and Heisman Trophy-winner Marcus Mariota is the perfect player to run his NFL offense, could you really blame him for pulling out all the stops, overturning every rock under which a potential draft day deal could be hiding or mortgaging a large chunk of Philly's draft selections and NFL talent in order to acquire his very own Tom Brady/Peyton Manning/Russell Wilson?
I don't think you could.
"If he's in Chip's system, he'll be a problem for teams from Day One," one personnel director said, per Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News. "Mariota may be the missing piece for them. If he plays in any other system, he's at least one year away."
Yes, it's a far-fetched notion that requires some mental gymnastics and a dash of imagination. No, a deal won't come cheap or easy and it will mean an investment of assets many Philly fans will view as detrimental if not outright destructive to the Eagles future.
But if Mariota is Kelly's once-in-a-football-lifetime quarterback, there's really no price that is too high.
To that end, Mehta speculated recently that, should Mariota fall to the Jets selection at No. 6 in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft in April, it could prove a perfect situation for the Eagles and Kelly to move up and nab the young signal-caller while allowing the Jets to upgrade at quarterback - Geno Smith is almost assuredly not the answer there - and add a large quantity of picks that will allow new GM Mike Maccagnan and head coach Todd Bowles to significantly upgrade the roster at a variety of positions.
"On the surface, a deal between the Jets and Eagles makes plenty of sense if Mariota is available when Maccagnan & Co. are on the clock with the No. 6 overall pick on April 30," writes Mehta. "Upon closer inspection, it's the ultimate no-brainer unless the Jets brass is in starry-eyed love with the Heisman Trophy winner."
What compensation does Mehta see as fair in this particular prognostication-based instance?
"A win-win for the Jets and Kelly: The Eagles give up 2015 and 2016 first- and second-rounders for the No. 6 pick," along with Philly quarterback Nick Foles.
That's a hefty compensation package and would hinder Kelly and new de facto GM Ed Marynowitz from making significant additions to other needy areas on the roster - secondary, offensive line depth, secondary, inside linebacker, secondary - as well as ship out a talented and ascending, if athletically-limited, quarterback in Foles, but if it lands Mariota, it could be worth it in the end.
It's an "out there" scenario based purely on speculation over Kelly's desire to work with Mariota at the NFL-level, but it's why you bring a guy like Chip Kelly on board in the first place - it's why Jeffrey Lurie hired a head coach with no NFL experience and innovative ideas that, more often than not, go against the grain of accepted NFL wisdom.
It's a big swing and if you miss, it'll set the franchise back years.
But if you connect...
