Alas, the day has come. Fans can no longer make fun jokes about how Chip Kelly is going to trade the entire Philadelphia Eagles team to the Tennessee Titans just to acquire his BFF Marcus Mariota. People had been connecting Mariota to the Eagles long before this year’s draft, where the Titans dropped a nuclear bomb on just about every Eagles fan (and coach Kelly) and selected the QB with the second overall pick. Since coach Kelly recruited Mariota to Oregon, he held a special place in his heart for the QB. And after he made the leap to the NFL, Mariota held a special place in Eagles fans’ hearts as well.

Philly faithful will forever remember the roller coaster of terror and romantic pleasure that was the 2015 offseason. From the trade of LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills, to the unrealized signing of Frank Gore, fans have been through a lot. But the one thing that was always constant was the lure of Mariota.

When Eagles fans were down in the dumps after sending Nick Foles to the St. Louis Rams for an injury-prone Sam Bradford who constantly looks like he’s just been frightened by a ghost, they all knew, deep down inside, that Mariota was going to come along, sweep them off of their feet and take them on a majestic ride to the promised land, the Super Bowl.

Kelly offered the world for Mariota in the draft — a true king’s ransom. Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks, Brandon Boykin, the whole enchilada, but that wasn’t enough. The world seemed bleak.

But then came July. Just about all first-round rookies had signed contracts with their respective teams — except for Mariota.

Fans were ready for Kelly to swoop in like the majestic Eagle he truly is and bring Mariota home to dress him up in green clothing and take adorable photos of him with a brand new Eagles hat on.

And then he signed his contract on Tuesday.

Womp womp. Too bad.

This is not goodbye. This is only see you later.

Ryan Quigley is a Philadelphia Sports Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the Philadelphia Flyers. Follow him on Twitter @Quigs311 or add him to your network on LinkedIn.