Smart NFL teams don't let potential franchise quarterbacks get away. They also don't leave themselves totally bereft of talent at the position. For the Philadelphia Eagles, who signed uninspiring former first-overall pick Sam Bradford to a two-year bridge deal on Tuesday in an effort to avoid heading into the new league year with Mark Sanchez and McLeod Bethel-Thompson the only names written (in pencil) on their quarterbacking depth chart, there really wasn't much in the way of other immediate options.
It seems at first glance that they handed nearly $30 million in guarantees to a mediocre at best signal-caller who has failed to complete a full 16-game NFL season four out of his six professional seasons and has yet to win a playoff game. And, well, they did. The Eagles did give Bradford, a 28-year-old with a 25-37-1 career NFL record who is still viewed more as unfulfilled potential than established talent, a lucrative contract extension.
But here's the thing - the Eagles actually did the smartest thing they could, considering the circumstances. Franchise quarterbacks don't grow on trees. Just ask the Cleveland Browns or Bradford's former team, the Los Angeles Rams. No, Bradford isn't a known commodity and yes, re-signing him comes with a plethora of issues and potential pitfalls, but Eagles GM/totally not GM Howie Roseman did the best he could for Doug Pederson's group by re-signing Bradford to a deal that, on its surface, is massive, but actually allows the team an out if Bradford plays poorly in 2016.
The 2016 base salary on Bradford's new deal is $7 million. It comes with a $5.5 million signing bonus, which means the Eagles are committing $12.5 million of their cap to the second-year Philadelphia quarterback for next season. In 2017, Bradford's base salary jumps to $13 million, with another $5.5 million signing bonus and a non-guaranteed $4 million roster bonus. His cap hit will be $22.5 million, with a $9.5 million dead cap penalty.
Essentially, Bradford has the potential to make $26 million over the next 12 months, but if he's cut before his bonus is due next year, he'll make $22 million for a single season.
What does it all mean for Bradford and the signal-caller position future in Philly?
It means that the Eagles will be drafting another quarterback in April. Now, whether that quarterback comes at the 13th pick in the first round is entirely debatable and likely dependent on how the draft board falls. But you can be certain that Roseman, a known proponent of selecting at least one quarterback in every draft, will be taking a signal-caller come April. It's only a matter of when.
Worst case scenario, if everything fall the wrong way and there's simply no avoiding it, that pick will come in 2017.
But wherever the quarterback of the future is selected, the Eagles will be hoping, praying that their hand-picked guy gives them a reason to cut Bradford before the 2017 season. Yes, $9.5 million in dead money will hurt, but it's a small price to pay to get that $22.5 million off the books.
And if that quarterback, whether he be Paxton Lynch or Dak Prescott or someone else, doesn't develop as quickly as the team hopes, expect the Eagles to try and renegotiate Bradford's deal in the offseason - assuming he stays healthy and plays relatively well.
And that's the best part of the deal. The Eagles gave themselves an opportunity. Bradford has the potential to play well and lock down the top spot. Really, the Eagles weren't going to find a better option, whether it be Chase Daniel or a likely to be jettisoned Nick Foles, on the free agent market this season. Figuring out a way to make it work with Bradford was in the team's best interest and in Bradford's. The market obviously wasn't bearing out what Bradford's agent, Tom Condon, hoped it would, which is why his client landed back in Philly.
But the short term, even with the big dollar figures, allows the Eagles to move on quickly if they find "their guy" elsewhere, something the team is obviously hopeful of. Pederson has mentioned more than once this offseason that he'd like to find a quarterback to grow with. He's even said he thinks it's best for a young guy to sit for a year or two. That's no coincidence.
Bradford's new deal isn't about crowning him the starter or Roseman and Pederson attempting to keep team owner Jeffrey Lurie's suddenly itchy finger off the button. It's about opportunity - the opportunity to win now and, hopefully, in the future.
