Sam Bradford - Pro Football Rumors

Sam Bradford Intends To Play In 2018

February 22nd, 2018 at 4:02pm CST by Ryan Posner

Sam Bradford has made a considerable amount of money over his injury-plagued career but the former No. 1 overall pick has every intention of returning in 2018, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). Bradford, 30, started the Vikings‘ first game of last season and was officially shelved for the rest of the regular season after attempting to make a Week 5 return from a knee injury.

Bradford, who was activated in the postseason to serve as the Vikings’ No. 2 quarterback, is one of three Minnesota quarterbacks due to hit free agency, joining Teddy Bridgewater and Case Keenum. Since being taken by the Rams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft, Bradford has made over $114MM.

To help alleviate the pain, Bradford had his knee cleaned out and a bone spur shaved by Dr. James Andrews in November. Bradford appeared in 15 games for the Vikings in 2016, which were the most for him since starting all 16 games for the Rams in 2012. Andrews told Bradford his knee joint was in good shape and his ligaments were intact following the November procedure and that he shouldn’t have any fears about the knee heading into free agency, per Pelissero.

The Vikings were 9-8 over the last two seasons when Bradford was under center. His completing percentage of 71.6 last season was the best of his career for a season in which he appeared in at least ten games. Along with the Vikings, the Cardinals, Broncos, Jets, Bills and Browns make up a sampling of teams who could be looking for a quarterback in free agency this offseason.

John DeFilippo Sheds Light On Minnesota Plans

February 9th, 2018 at 6:58pm CST by Micah Powell

Friday morning, former Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo was hired as the offensive coordinator in Minnesota to replace Pat Shurmur, who took the head-coaching gig with the Giants. In the afternoon, he addressed his plans for the team’s offense and noted a few opportunities in the league that were presented to him.

The 39-year-old coach said he interviewed for head-coaching positions in Arizona and Chicago and was requested by a few teams for the offensive coordinator positions, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. “When the Minnesota Vikings want to talk to you, that’s a whole different ball game,” DeFilippo said. “It was obviously a special opportunity to work for Coach Zimmer and learn from him and work for another great head coach and another opportunity for myself to call plays.”

DeFilippo hasn’t called plays since serving as the Browns’ offensive coordinator in 2015. There was an opportunity for him to become the offensive coordinator in Philadelphia if current offensive coordinator Frank Reich became head coach in Indianapolis. He, however, would not call plays due to head coach Doug Pederson fulfilling that role.

With Sam Bradford, Case Keenum and Teddy Bridgewater all preparing to enter free agency, DeFilippo said athleticism in the pocket is a must, Tomasson reports (Twitter link). None of those passers are really known for their athleticism, but Keenum did show an ability to sidestep the rush during his breakout 2017 campaign.

DeFilippo also said he will incorporate elements of the Eagles offense while keeping the aspects that Minnesota did well in 2017, the Star Tribune Ben Goessling tweets.

Latest On The Vikings QB Situation

January 22nd, 2018 at 8:40pm CST by GregGoldstein

The Vikings 2017 campaign ended in disappointment after they were blown out in the NFC Championship game at the hands of the Eagles. Now as the team enters the offseason, they face the very unique challenge of having all three of the quarterbacks on their roster entering free agency at the same time. Michael Rand of the Star Tribune talked to both Case Keenum and Teddy Bridgewater as the team moved their stuff out of the locker room on Monday afternoon.

Keenum, who turns 30 in February, put together a surprisingly productive season after he spent much of his career as a backup. There were rumors that Keenum could be franchised tagged coming off of their miracle finish against the Saints, but that may now put put to rest given the offense’s performance this past weekend. Nevertheless, Keenum told reporters that he would love to come back to Minnesota next season because of the connection he feels to the franchise and the city.

I love this team,” said Keenum. “I love these guys. Love the coaching staff. I love this whole organization. … The culture they have around here is just awesome. Minnesota itself, the people here have been great.”

On the other hand, Bridgewater completed the major accomplishment of working his way back to becoming active after his scary leg injury that he suffered in training camp prior to the start of the 2016 season. Bridgewater told reporters that he understood why the Vikings played things the way they did.

“In a perfect world, I would have loved to have been dressing, but I understand decisions are made to give this team the best chance to win,” said Bridgewater. “I understand that and I’m a pro. I know what it takes. It happened, and I dealt with it.”

But not that he’s healthy, the 25-year-old added that he “definitely, without a question” is capable of being a team’s top signal caller.

Rand notes that Bridgewater and Sam Bradford have real injury questions, which makes Keenum the likely pick of the front office out of three options. However, he does add that it’s entirely within reason that the Vikings could go outside of the organization and sign a guy like Kirk Cousins to solidify the position moving forward.

Sam Bradford To Be No. 2 QB

January 14th, 2018 at 12:49pm CST by Rory Parks

Sam Bradford was activated from IR yesterday, and today ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen reports that Bradford will serve as Case Keenum‘s backup for the Vikings’ divisional round matchup against the Saints this afternoon (Twitter link). Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer has never activated three quarterbacks, so it is likely that Teddy Bridgewater will be inactive for the contest.

Bradford started the Vikings’ first game of the 2017 season and performed well in leading his team to a convincing win over — coincidentally enough — the Saints. But he has not played in a full game since that opening contest, and as Bridgewater was continuing to recover from last season’s ACL injury, Keenum was given the chance to show what he could do.

He did not disappoint. He went 11-3 as a starter, led the Vikings to the No. 2 seed in the NFC, and set himself up for a big payday in the coming months. Like Keenum, Bradford and Bridgewater will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, so Minnesota will have some very interesting decisions to make when their season is over.

Mortensen also tweets that, on November 7, Bradford visited Dr. James Andrews to have his left knee cleaned out and a bone spur shaved. As a result, the pain in his knee is not nearly as severe as it was prior to the surgery. Apparently, he feels good enough and has played well enough since returning to the practice field earlier this month to serve as Keenum’s backup in a playoff contest.

Vikings Activate QB Sam Bradford From IR

January 13th, 2018 at 12:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Sam Bradford is back. Chris Tomasson of St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (via Twitter) that the Vikings have activated the quarterback from the injured reserve. To make room, the team has waived tight end Kyle Carter.

Bradford, who had been shelved since Week 5, returned to practice in early January. Bradford hasn’t played in a full game since the first week of the season, as he’s battled knee injuries for much of the campaign. Backup Case Keenum has been a revelation as the team’s starting quarterback, completing 67.6-percent of his passes for 3,547 yards, 22 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. For comparison’s sake, in 2016, Bradford completed 71.6-percent of his passes for 3,877 yards, 20 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Keenum will still be under center for the Vikings’ playoff matchup against the Saints tomorrow.

While the top of the depth chart may not be in question, the presence of Teddy Bridgewater complicates the backup role. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer acknowledged that Bradford is healthy enough to play, but he wouldn’t reveal if the quarterback would unseat Bridgewater as the top reserve. Bridgewater missed the entire 2016 season after having suffered a torn ACL, and he was activated off the PUP in November of this season.

Bridgewater was actually the last Vikings quarterback to start a playoff game, but he acknowledged that he doesn’t care about who ends up taking the reps.

“I just want us to win,” he told Tomasson (via Twitter). “At this time of the year, it doesn’t matter if it’s pretty, if it’s ugly, it’s all about winning and how you get it done.”

Carter, a 2016 undrafted free agent out of Penn State, had spent the past two seasons with the Vikings organization. He appeared in three games this season without recording a reception.

Sam Bradford To Practice This Week

January 1st, 2018 at 1:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sam Bradford‘s been shelved since an ill-advised return to action in Week 5, but the Vikings’ Week 1 starter the past two seasons will come off IR and return to practice this week, Mike Zimmer said (via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk).

Once Bradford does practice, the Vikings will have three weeks to activate him. Case Keenum is expected to remain the starter after taking the reins from Bradford and piloting the Vikes to the NFC’s No. 2 seed — Minnesota’s first bye since 2009 — but Bradford returning would obviously supply high-end depth.

Bradford has experienced consistent injury trouble since hurting his knee in Week 1, but the 30-year-old passer told Zimmer his injured left knee feels good after this lengthy rest period. The Vikings could activate Bradford this week, but with no game Sunday, they will surely let him see if he can stay healthy through practices before making a decision down the road.

Teddy Bridgewater and Kyle Sloter are Keenum’s backups. A Bradford return would almost certainly force the team to cut Sloter from the 53-man roster.

Sam Bradford Expected At Practice Next Week

December 27th, 2017 at 11:38am CST by Sam Robinson

Sam Bradford‘s mandated two months on IR are just about up, and the Vikings expect their Week 1 starting quarterback to return to practice next week, Mike Zimmer said (via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com).

While Zimmer is unsure if Bradford would be available during the playoffs, the Vikings would be able to activate him. Zimmer said Bradford told him his injured left knee feels good, and the fourth-year Vikings HC added (via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press) his initial 2017 starter has been throwing recently.

Bradford has not played since Week 5 and has only suited up for two games this season. He would be eligible for reactivation by the time the Vikings begin their playoff slate. But this would obviously require the eighth-year veteran to show he’s healthy enough to suit up again, which may be a lot to ask given how his season’s unfolded.

Case Keenum took over for Bradford midway through an October win in Chicago and has put to rest any quarterback controversy that emerged for a team that has two former first-round picks under contract. Bradford, like Keenum and Teddy Bridgewater, will see his Vikings contract expire at season’s end.

Bradford’s experienced knee trouble throughout his career but was considered the Vikings’ preferred starter until around midseason, when Keenum started to thrive as a legitimately viable option rather than the career backup he’d profiled as prior to 2017. Bradford experienced knee pain prior to Week 2 and was a last-minute scratch. He missed the next two Minnesota games before returning at far less than 100 percent during a victory over the Bears, after which the Vikes shut him down.

He’s thrown just 43 passes this season, a year after playing in 15 games — his most since 2012 — and setting the NFL’s completion percentage standard at 71.6 percent.

While the 30-year-old quarterback wouldn’t be expected to earn his job back, his dominant Week 1 performance in a win over the Saints notwithstanding, it would provide possible insurance. However, Bridgewater has been Keenum’s backup since being activated. So, it’s unclear how the pecking order would end up in a rare scenario where all three of Minnesota’s quarterbacks are active.

Vikings, Case Keenum Haven’t Discussed Extension

November 27th, 2017 at 11:11am CST by Dallas Robinson

Although Case Keenum has led the Vikings to a 9-2 record while posting the best statistical season of his career, Minnesota has not opened extension talks with the veteran quarterback, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

The Vikings are facing a free agent predicament in 2018, as Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater, and Sam Bradford are all scheduled to hit the open market next spring. However, general manager Rick Spielman & Co. have no plans to work out new deals with any of those signal-callers until the 2017 campaign comes to a close, per Florio.

Depending on how the remainder of the season plays out, the 29-year-old Keenum could potentially be in for a contract that pays him $15MM annually, a significant bump over his 2017 base salary of $2MM. The Vikings could theoretically deploy the franchise tag on Keenum, but that tender will likely come with a cost north of $22MM.

Minnesota could also be forced to hire another offensive coordinator this offseason, as incumbent Pat Shurmur may draw head coaching interest in the coming months. Such a change could affect the Vikings’ preferences at quarterback, and could also add competition for Keenum, as Shurmur would presumably make a run at Keenum if he lands another head job.

Keenum, who had notably struggled for the majority of his NFL career, has now posted 14 touchdowns against only five interceptions this season, and ranks among the top-10 in both quarterback rating and adjusted net yards per pass attempt.

Vikings Place Sam Bradford On IR

November 8th, 2017 at 10:30am CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings have placed quarterback Sam Bradford on injured reserve following knee surgery. Given that we are halfway through the season, that move will wrap up his 2017 campaign.

The Vikings had to clear a roster spot to make room for the return of Teddy Bridgewater and that forced them to make a tough decision. Fill-in Case Keenum has been surprisingly sharp as the starter, so keeping him is a no-brainer. In theory, the Vikings could have released young quarterback Kyle Sloter, but they would have almost certainly lost him to waivers if they tried to sneak him through and re-sign him to the practice squad. Rather than losing Sloter and hoping that Bradford could maybe return to the field this year, the Vikings are parking the veteran on IR.

Bradford looked sharp in the Vikings’ season opener, completing 27 of 32 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns. Unfortunately, knee issues sidelined him until Week 5. In that game, he completed 5 of 11 passes before being forced out in the first half.

Keenum is expected to continue as Minnesota’s starter with Bridgewater as the backup. If Keenum falters, however, that order could change quickly.

Vikings To Activate Teddy Bridgewater

November 7th, 2017 at 11:12am CST by Zachary Links

Teddy Bridgewater will be activated to the Vikings’ 53-man roster, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com tweets. Meanwhile, the team is discussing whether Sam Bradford will be placed on injured reserve.

Moving Bradford to IR could be the Vikings best option given the way that Case Keenum has played in his absence. The Vikings also know that they will probably lose preseason standout Kyle Sloter if they try to sneak him through waivers and on to the practice squad.

Keenum is expected to remain the starter for the time being with Bridgewater as a backup. If Keenum falters against the Redskins on Sunday, the Vikings could have another QB dilemma on their hands.

In 2016, Bradford set the NFL record for completion percentage in a season at 71.6%. This year, however, he has been dealing with serious knee troubles and has appeared in only two games. Bradford opened up the season by completing 27 of 32 passes against the Saints for three touchdowns and no interceptions, but he did not return to action until Week 5 against the Bears. After getting re-injured midway through that game, we have not seen Bradford take the field since.