The first day of NFL free agency was one for the ages Tuesday, marked by a dizzying procession of blockbuster trades, overshadowing the big-money signings from the moment the opening bell sounded.
And no move was bigger — or more controversial — than Chip Kelly’s decision to ship quarterback Nick Foles and two high Eagles picks over the next two years to the Rams for oft-injured Sam Bradford and a fifth-round choice in 2015.
It was the latest prominent piece of the Philadelphia puzzle to be sent elsewhere by Kelly as part of his breathtaking overhaul this offseason, and it might not be the last.
The Eagles’ quirky coach doesn’t speak to the media in the offseason except at mandatory NFL functions, so any insight into why Kelly has sent Foles and LeSean McCoy packing while letting Jeremy Maclin walk will have to wait until the owners meetings in Arizona this month.
But other team executives speculate Bradford could just be a lure in Kelly’s master plan to move up and take former Oregon pupil Marcus Mariota next month, especially because the Eagles already have Mark Sanchez on the roster at $5 million.
If not, the move was an extremely pricey way to land a quarterback with a career 18-30-1 record and a $12.9 million salary this season who has appeared in just seven games since 2012 because of various injuries.
The trade made a lot more sense for the Rams, who get a fourth-rounder this year, a second-rounder in 2016 and a less turnover-prone quarterback in Foles.
Foles threw 40 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions the past two seasons under Kelly, compared to Bradford’s 59 TDs and 38 interceptions in his first four NFL seasons.
Rams coach Jeff Fisher insisted to reporters at the scouting combine in Indianapolis last month he supported Bradford and didn’t have him on the block.
Cap woes forced another trade Tuesday when the Ravens sent five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata to the Lions for three low-round picks.
Ngata was unwilling to renegotiate his contract to help Baltimore free up cap room (the Ravens had just $4 million available at the start of business Tuesday), so GM Ozzie Newsome reluctantly sent him packing.
Ngata could be a face-saver for Detroit in the wake of the Lions botching their talks with Ndamukong Suh and allowing arguably the league’s best tackle to walk in free agency to the Dolphins.
Ngata is 31, though, and has battled some injury woes. Detroit also could have a much bigger hole to fill along its defensive line, too, as fellow top-tier tackle Nick Fairley opened free agency by scheduling a visit to the cap-rich Bengals.