New Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson hasn't even been on the job for one week and already he has a headache to deal with.
Philly is in a precarious position at quarterback, with incumbent starter Sam Bradford hitting free agency this offseason. But despite Bradford's disappointing season - 65.0%, 3,725 yards, 19 TDs, 14 INTs, 10 fumbles - ESPN's Jim Trotter (via The BigLead.com) is reporting that his agent, Tom Condon, "came in asking for $25 million a year."
Huh? Did I miss something?
In all likelihood the $25 million number was just an opening negotiation tactic. The Denver Broncos approached Condon and Peyton Manning about a $10 million pay cut last year, from $19 million to $9 million. Obviously, the duo was taken aback, but the Broncos explained it was just an opening number. When the dust had settled, Manning's salary was reduced to $15 million, with the opportunity to earn it all back (if he wins this weekend he'll make roughly half of it back).
So I guess $25 million makes sense as an opener? It would make more sense if we knew what the Eagles had started with ($10 million?), and if both sides were gunning for an eventual settlement around $15 million. Given the high-priced market for quarterbacks, that number seems about right.
But Bradford is still such a question mark. He lost two seasons to torn ACLs and was never surrounded by much talent in St. Louis. Many expected the QB-whispering Chip Kelly to help him breakout this past year, but that never came to fruition. Six years in and we still don't really know if this guy is any good.
At the end of the day, Bradford won't be making $25 million next season and he also won't be earning $10 million. His final salary will fall somewhere in between, but it remains to be seen if he can consistently justify whatever number he ends up receiving.
