When the Philadelphia Eagles traded for Sam Bradford prior to the NFL Draft, they had him penciled in as the team's starting quarterback. However, it is up to Bradford to determine if that is for the short-term or long-term future. The quarterback is coming off back-to-back knee injuries and has a lot to prove as he enters this final year of his contract. The Eagles appear to be sold on what the former No.1 overall pick has shown so far as preliminary talks begin.
According to Albert Breer of NFL Media, the Eagles have begun talks with Bradford about a contract extension, but there has been no real progress on the effort. The Eagles are reportedly trying to sign Bradford now when they can potentially get him for much cheaper with an incentive-laden deal rather than the massive contract he could command should he return healthy and productive in the upcoming season. Bradford is set to earn $12 million in 2015 which is not very friendly with the team's salary cap space. However, there is no progress in getting the quarterback signed now.
Mark Eckel of NJ.com reported before the NFL Draft that Bradford wanted a no-trade clause in his contract which has been holding up talks as well. At the time, there were reports the Cleveland Browns were pushing for a trade for the quarterback and Bradford had no interest in moving to Ohio. Breer reports that chances are very high that Bradford simply plays out the final year of his contract and either waits for a deal from the Eagles or heads elsewhere for 2016.
According to ESPN, Bradford has looked impressive in what he has been able to do so far in minicamp. The quarterback is not at full health just yet, but his throws have been on point and teams are raving about what kind of arm Bradford has. Mark Sanchez is not expected to contend for the starting job over Bradford, but he could factor in to future contract talks. If the backup plays well during training camp and in the preseason, the Eagles could feel comfortable having him as their option if Bradford's contract demands get out of hand.
For now the focus is on Bradford and the starters around him. Jordan Matthews is being inserted as the No.1 target while Riley Cooper and Nelson Agholor battle with Josh Huff. Meanwhile Darren Sproles is competing with Ryan Mathews to earn the backup job to DeMarco Murray.
