Eagles Rumors: Bradford, Mathews, Peters

Sam Bradford will not be part of the 2017 Eagles, Les Bowen of Philly.com writes. The Eagles are leaning toward making Carson Wentz a game-day inactive to start the season, but the trade for the No. 2 overall pick points to him starting by ’17, Bowen notes. If the Eagles are unable to find a suitable trade partner for Bradford following the ’16 season, they’d incur $9.5MM in dead money as a result of the two-year, $36MM deal they signed the 28-year-old quarterback to in March.

Here’s more coming out of Philadelphia as the Eagles prepare for training camp.

• Before his presumptive departure, though, Bradford will have more freedom at the line of scrimmage than he did under Chip Kelly, writes Philly.com’s Zach Berman. Despite the former No. 1 overall pick tasked with learning a new offense for the fifth time his career, the attack orchestrated by Doug Pederson and Frank Reich poses as similar to Pat Shurmur‘s system with the Rams in 2010. Bradford claimed offensive rookie of the year honors that season.
• The Eagles will save $13MM if Bradford is released but $17MM if he is traded, Jimmy Kempski of Phillyvoice.com reports. The 2017 free agent market for quarterbacks currently includes Drew Brees and Kirk Cousins, but those two are almost certain to not be part of that contingent next March. That leaves the likes of Mark Sanchez, Blaine Gabbert and Geno Smith as the potential top QBs on the market. So, Philadelphia should be able to fetch a decent trade for Bradford, who will turn 30 in November of 2017.
• Much like Bradford doesn’t look to be back in Philly next season, Ryan Mathews resides in the same boat, Kempski writes. Characterizing the former first-round pick as a poor fit for Pederson’s offense — one that stands to feature running backs used through the air more often, as Jamaal Charles was under Pederson in Kansas City — Kempski notes the Eagles do not necessarily want Mathews around long-term but would be in trouble without him in 2016. The Eagles, who have Mathews under contract through next season, are projected to possess the least amount of cap room in the league in ’17 and ’18 as of now and can save $4MM by cutting the former Charger next year.
• If Jason Peters or Jason Kelce don’t bounce back this season, they make for cap-casualty candidates in 2017, Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News writes. The latter is only in the second season of a six-year, $37.5MM contract, but that deal contains just $2.4MM in dead money beginning next season. Peters enters his eighth season with the Eagles and 13th in the NFL. The former All-Pro left tackle has three years remaining on his four-year, $38.3MM extension. That deal, though, houses just $2MM in dead money in ’17, when Peters will be 35.
• The Eagles added quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson on Sunday to a quarterback stable that may be the deepest in the NFL.