The Philadelphia Eagles faced plenty of questions when they traded for Sam Bradford at the start of the offseason. Many believed he was merely acquired to be a trade piece for Marcus Mariota while others saw it as a short-term fix to the quarterback issue in Philadelphia. At the time the Eagles were not even thinking contract extension for Bradford who is entering the final year of his deal after back-to-back ACL surgeries. However, after a few practices during training camp the Eagles are thinking of continuing the relationship with Bradford.
According to Ed Werder of ESPN, the Eagles are beginning contract talks with Bradford for a deal that is not expected to be a long-term thing, but more of something that controls Bradford past his current expiration date. The timeline for that is unknown. That quarterback is coming off a $78 million rookie deal. A franchise tag for him would be in the $25 million range for one season which is something the Eagles are hoping to completely avoid. Bradford has stated his case for not wanting a contract this season in hopes of earning a lucrative long-term deal next season, but the Eagles might try and wrap him up while he is cheaper.
According ProFootballTalk.com, head coach Chip Kelly believes that Bradford is the franchise quarterback for the Eagles. Entering training camp Mark Sanchez was told he would have the chance to win the starting quarterback job, but it has been Bradford taking all of the first-team reps after he was fully cleared to play. Sanchez is inked through next season. If Bradford plays well in 2015, the backup quarterback could be on the move much like Matt Barkley is expected to be this season.
A short-term deal for Bradford could make both sides happy. It would allow the Eagles to avoid the high-priced franchise tag while they still determine if the quarterback is a good fit or not. It would give Bradford a sense of security should he struggle in the upcoming season after spending two years away from the field.
The Eagles have a lot banking on players like Bradford. The did a lot of roster rebuilding this offseason and he was only one piece of it. Players like DeMarco Murray have a lot of added expectations on their shoulders as he comes off a season where he led the league in rushing. Now behind the Philadelphia offensive line, Murray must prove he was not just a back of the system. Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles are expected to see a fair amount of time under center as well as the running back is not expected to have the same heavy workload as he did last year.
