Sam Bradford has value in the NFL even if it is not with the St. Louis Rams. His job security has fallen into questions after his failure to take his progression as a starting quarterback to the next level. The Rams were likely expecting a bit more from Bradford considering the recent success of rookie quarterbacks. Currently considering a quarterback with the No. 2 draft pick, Bradford is trade bait no matter what the team says to the press.
The Rams have continued to say they are committed to Bradford and remain confident that he will make big improvements in the upcoming season. However, recent reports say otherwise. According to CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora, the Rams and the Minnesota Vikings have discussed a trade of Bradford. La Canfora spoke with 920's the Morning After Show and said that multiple NFL sources believe the two teams have talked about a deal, but St. Louis is waiting until after the upcoming NFL draft to make any final decisions.
The Rams have the No. 2 pick and a real shot at landing former Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel. The Houston Texans appear ready to select Jadeveon Clowney, leaving Manziel to land in the laps of the Rams. He would be too good to pass up no matter what head coach Jeff Fisher says about Bradford.
Now all of this could easily just be smokescreens for the draft. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Rams have not engaged in trade talks regarding Bradford and have no intention of doing so. It is hard to believe they have not at least considered the idea. Bradford is owed $14 million and coming off a season-ending ACL tear. If the team have the opportunity to take Manziel, why not get something in return for a former first-round pick?
The deal makes sense for the Minnesota Vikings. The team needs another quarterback. They have Matt Cassel penciled in as the starter, but has no long-term plan. General manager Rick Spielman is not thrilled with his options in the draft and could prefer taking an experience quarterback instead. If Bradford is unavailable, the team could take a look at Mike Glennon or Ryan Nassib who appear to have become recently available for dealings. Getting Bradford would mean the quarterback does not have to rush his return to the field and could heal properly while Cassel holds things down.
The option could be there, but it will not come cheap. The Rams would not be letting the quarterback go for nothing and if this deal does not happen before the draft, the Vikings could deem the starter too expensive and simply wait another year before drafting the future.
