The days of Sam Bradford's guaranteed return to Philadelphia appear to be over. While it first seemed that the Eagles would do anything to retain their 2015 starter, now it appears that they are willing to let him test the market and see his value before offering a contract. Bradford has not spoken on free agency since he left team facilities at the end of the season, but if he does not come back who does Philadelphia target?
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Eagles do not want to use their franchise tag on Bradford, but still want him to return as their quarterback. That could be tricky. With no guaranteed success in the draft and a relatively weak free agent market, a number of teams will jump at Bradford if available. Players like DeMarco Murray, Zach Ertz and Jordan Matthews have all made their requests for Bradford to come back, but it is no guarantee if he starts with the reported $25 million demands again. Still, head coach Doug Pederson is hopeful that Bradford is the player that leads the offense 2016.
"If he is our guy, then he is our guy, and we go forward with that," Pederson said, via NJ.com. "But I do know in this day-and-age of free agency, I can't fault a player the opportunity to become one of the top paid players in the national football league."
According to Philly Sports Network, Brock Osweiler will be the top target for the Eagles if Bradford is not an option. The backup quarterback for the Denver Broncos saw his stock skyrocket this season after going 5-2 in place of Peyton Manning. He is hitting free agency and could be signed to a low-risk, high reward deal given he does not have the resume to command much money. The issue is that Osweiler would rather play for Denver than anywhere else.
"Every single guy on this team embraced me, and that is something I think they all know how thankful I am for that, but this is the best team in the world and we have a very special group in our locker room," Osweiler said, via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post.
If not Bradford and not Osweiler, Ryan Fitzpatrick could be the option as a short-term fix. The New York Jets have made it clear they intend to keep the quarterback, but will not offer a franchise tag. Instead, they have to hope Fitzpatrick liked playing for them enough to return. The Eagles could swoop in with a better contract offer and see if they can win the veteran over for 2016. That would open the door to drafting someone to develop for the future.
One thing is clear, the best option would be to bring Bradford back. Philadelphia would be gambling fi they thought they could get Osweiler or Fitzpatrick considering how much their respective teams want them to return. The eagles could easily give Bradford the tag and see how he plays the season out before making a move at either a long-term deal or another option.