The Philadelphia Eagles are starting to win games as they remain in contention for the playoffs, but that has not silenced the amount of drama around the team. The Eagles cannot seem to get out of their own way as their three-headed running back rotation is not happy while head coach Chip Kelly continues to answer questions about his job security. The one constant lately has been Sam Bradford who is playing on an expiring contract and is remaining coy about the idea of returning to Philadelphia.
According to Kelly, the Eagles would not have given up what they did if they intended to let Bradford go after one season. The head coach made it clear that he was very pleased with what Bradford has done in recent weeks and certainly intends to keep him around for the long-term. The question is whether Bradford feels the same way. The quarterback has been using this year to prove to people he can still play football after back-to-back ACL surgeries and he is not guaranteeing his return to the Eagles just yet.
"Obviously, it's great to hear those things, but I don't think it really means a whole lot, and it's not going to change the way I approach things," Bradford said, via the Philly Voice. "I'm sure I'll pay more attention to that stuff in the offseason. That's a couple months away. I'm really just worried about these next three weeks, obviously this week against Arizona. I do like it here. Obviously it's a lot different than anywhere I've ever been before. But you know what? I really do enjoy it here."
The Eagles have options with Bradford to retain him. The quarterback will want a nice, large contract in the offseason. Philadelphia could use the franchise tag and retain him for one more season at the tune of $20 million. The Eagles reportedly attempted to re-sign Bradford before the year and the offer was decline by the quarterback. He sounds like someone aiming to test his options, but the Eagles could put up a fight to keep him around.
Will DeMarco Murray be with Bradford another year? The running back has not had the best two weeks after not getting the start in back-to-back games while headlines hint at trades in the future. With Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles playing well, Murray has been taking a backseat getting demoted to No.4 on the depth chart. Kelly is making it very clear that he is not concerned about making Murray happy. He is concerned about winning football games. According to Murray, he simply wants to win football games regardless of what his role is on the team.
"It's different," Murray said, via ESPN.com. "I've never been in this situation. But we're tied for first place in the division. I've been in this division four years -- it's my fifth year -- and it's always come down to every game in December, to the last game, so giving yourself a chance to win is giving yourself a chance to make the playoffs. It is what it is. Obviously, you always want to have a chance to contribute as much as you can in a game."
