Sam Bradford spent most of the offseason hearing rumors of his future with the St. Louis Rams. As the quarterback rehabbed a torn ACL, reports were surfacing that the Rams were not as invested in the quarterback as once originally assumed. Armed with draft picks, it was assumed the Rams might grab Johnny Manziel or Blake Bortles to eventually take over as starting quarterback. Bradford heard all of the rumors, but never feared his job was in jeopardy.
"I didn't," Bradford said, via ESPN.com. "Throughout the end of last year I was in communication with [general manager] Les [Snead] and (coach) Jeff [Fisher], and they made it very clear what their plan was. Throughout the offseason they continued to make that clear. I knew what my position on this team was."
The Rams looked at multiple quarterbacks in the draft. They worked out all of the potential top picks, but opted not to take anyone. The attention to the rookie quarterbacks drew speculation to Bradford's future as many started reporting he was available for trading. Bradford has yet to take that leap to elite status as the Rams continue to get shut out of the playoffs. The quarterback claims he knew the Rams' draft moves well before the event took place and never felt the team was questioning his status.
Head coach Jeff Fisher continues to support the quarterback despite his regression in 2013. Fisher has remained adamant that Bradford the quarterback that can lead the Rams to success and he is making sure the quarterback does not feel added pressure on top of returning healthy in 2014.
"I don't think he's feeling any pressure at all," Fisher said. "He just wants to win. All of this stuff is being generated that this is his year, things like that; if you do the projections off of last year, if he'd have stayed healthy he would have had some very impressive numbers. So no pressure on Sam."
There is still speculation that the Rams will make a trade for another quarterback before training camp. CBS Sports has mentioned that behind Bradford is a lot of uncertainty and if the quarterback were to struggle or get injured gain, St. Louis would be in a bad position going forward. Matt McGloin and Ryan Mallett were both mentioned as trade options. The Patriots backup is facing questions of his future since New England drafted a rookie to take over for Tom Brady at one point. McGloin could be a favorite since the Raiders have Matt Schaub and Derek Carr that should work well in tandem.
Right now, all signs point to the Rams staying put with their current roster. Bradford will return as the starter, but the pressure is on to perform. Another season of missing out on the playoffs and the quarterback could really be shopped next offseason.