The Philadelphia Eagles are not giving up on Sam Bradford right now, determined to put the blame on the supporting cast for the team's struggles. However, the quarterback's future with the team remains a mystery. The Eagles took a chance trading for Bradford as the quarterback was coming off back-to-back ACL injuries with an expiring contract to his name. While that risk has not necessarily paid off, the Eagles are committed to him, but for how long?
Prior to the season starting, the Eagles' confidence in Bradford was very high. According to Howard Eskin of CBS Philly, the confidence was high to the tune of four years and $18 million per season which was the contract offered to Bradford. According to Eskin, the Eagles attempted to re-sign the quarterback to a contract extension before the year began in hopes of getting him at a bargain price. The quarterback turned down the deal confident that he could earn more in free agency.
That might not have been the best move considering Bradford is struggling heavily this season. Yes, the quarterback is not getting held from his teammates as both DeMarco Murray and Jordan Matthews have been failing to get any consistency going. The quarterback will not be benched as a result. According to Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com, Bradford is still viewed as the better option than Mark Sanchez. Both quarterbacks are turnover machines, but the Eagles believe Bradford gives them the best shot at staying alive in the NFC East. However, what about the long-term?
The Eagles have certainly seen what Bradford can do and the idea of moving on with another quarterback next season is not crazy. Bradford is not mobile enough for head coach Chip Kelly's offense and other quarterbacks that are might be hitting the market soon. According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, the Eagles could be looking to acquire Colin Kaepernick who is not going to be in the Bay Area next season. The quarterback has been benched and Florio believes the 49ers will either trade or release him by April 1 before his 2016 salary becomes guaranteed.
Florio writes that the 49ers could try to trade the quarterback in March to a team like the Eagles who will be in a better position to acquire Kaepernick. There is no chance they make the trade now before the NFL mid-season deadline. The same goes for Robert Griffin III. According to Josina Anderson of ESPN, there have been no trade offers for Griffin before the Tuesday deadline and there are not expected to be. However, that could be a different story in the offseason as the Redskins move forward with Kirk Cousins. Griffin is another quarterback better suited for Kelly's offensive style and he could potentially replace Bradford as well.
For now the Eagles will stick with Bradford in order to maintain team chemistry as they control their own destiny in their division. Bradford is in need of playing better not only to help the Eagles to win, but also to lock up a contract extension either in Philadelphia or elsewhere.