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Eagles Veterans Unhappy With Sam Bradford Trade?

September 10th, 2016 at 12:06pm CST by Ben Levine

The Eagles decision to trade Sam Bradford to the Vikings seemed to make sense on paper. The team received a haul for the quarterback, and they had second-overall pick Carson Wentz waiting in the wings. However, as Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes, several of the team’s veterans weren’t happy with the front office’s decision to trade Bradford.

Former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook appeared on PFT Live recently to discuss the move. Westbrook noted that the team’s decision to opt for a rookie quarterback may indicate that the organization isn’t serious about competing in 2016.

Jan 3, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford (7) prior to the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

“I kind of feel for those veterans like Jason Peters and Malcolm Jenkins, because I know and I was in the situation,” Westbrook said. “I had Donovan McNabb my entire career in Philadelphia but at some point they benched Donovan McNabb when we were in Baltimore and they put in Kevin Kolb. You just wonder, ‘OK, what are we doing here?’ Because we felt right now we had one of the better quarterbacks in the league in Donovan on the bench.

“It’s a little bit different situation with Sam Bradford because he hasn’t been one of the better quarterbacks on that same type of level as Donovan but if I’m on this football team here in Philadelphia right now and I’m a veteran I’m saying, ‘Well, hold on, timeout. We’re building for the future but that future does not necessarily include me and I have a problem with that.’ It’s good for the organization but not necessarily good for those veteran guys and so I would be a little disappointed.”

Well, that would seem like normal hyperbole, but Florio made a point of asking Westbrook outright whether some current Eagles had an issue with the trade.

“Definitely,” Westbrook said. “There’s no doubt about it and I’ve talked to a few guys that have expressed that. A few guys have said, ‘We’re trying to win this year because I don’t know if I’m going to play next year and I’m definitely not sure if I’m going to be able to be in Philadelphia next year. So as much as we want this young guy Carson Wentz to be successful we’re concerned about winning this year. We’re concerned about winning now.’ …

“I think that there’s an understanding from the fans, the coaching staff as well as the front office that, ‘Hey, we’re going to need to take some time to build this thing the right way.’ Unfortunately for some of the older players, some of the veteran players, that doesn’t necessarily mesh with what your goal is as far as winning right now.”

For what it’s worth, Bradford led his team to a 7-7 record in his 14 starts in 2015 (albeit in an entirely different scheme). The 28-year-old actually had one of his more productive NFL seasons, compiling a career-high 3,725 passing yards to go along with 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Vikings To Start Shaun Hill On Sunday

September 9th, 2016 at 4:18pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Vikings will start quarterback Shaun Hill, not new acquisition Sam Bradford, in their Week 1 showdown with the Titans on Sunday, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The team hasn’t made a formal announcement yet, but Vikings players were informed of the decision, per Rapoport.

Shaun Hill (vertical)

In a stunning move, Minnesota paid a lofty price – a first-round pick in 2017 and a fourth-rounder in 2018 – to acquire Bradford from Philadelphia last weekend. However, the 28-year-old simply hasn’t had enough time to get up to speed in a new offense yet. That temporarily opens the door for Hill, who’s in his second year with the Vikings. The 36-year-old journeyman’s most extensive recent action came in 2014, when he started in eight of nine appearances with the Rams and completed 63.3 percent of attempts for 1,657 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Of course, the Vikings are only in their current position because of the devastating knee injury starter Teddy Bridgewater suffered at the conclusion of August. Bridgewater has since undergone season-ending surgery on multiple torn ligaments, though he should be back in 2017. Without Bridgewater, who helped lead the Vikings to an NFC North title last season, the club will try to return to the playoffs with a combined effort from Hill and Bradford.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Reactions To Sam Bradford Trade

September 3rd, 2016 at 7:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Eagles GM Howie Roseman says that his plan wasn’t to trade Sam Bradford this offseason, but, “circumstances change” (Twitter link via Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com). It’s true, plans can change pretty rapidly when a team offers a massive haul for your quarterback and you have two more waiting in the wings.

On Saturday, the Vikings made Roseman & Co. an offer they could not refuse, sending first- and fourth-round picks to Philly in exchange for the former No. 1 overall pick. Here’s a look at some of today’s reactions to the surprising deal:

  • Roseman says the Eagles didn’t call any teams about Bradford and teams called them (Twitter link via Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com). I’m inclined to believe Roseman. At this stage of the offseason, just about every team has their quarterback situation settled. When Teddy Bridgewater went down with his gruesome leg injury, Roseman surely knew that a Vikings call was just around the corner. By waiting for Minnesota’s inquiry instead of taking an active role, Roseman maintained his leverage.
  • Vikings general manager Rick Spielman indicated that having the option of keeping Bradford in 2017 played a role in acquiring him from the Eagles, tweets Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Presumably, that’s because the nature of Bridgewater’s injury means he might not be back to start next season.
  • Spielman was also adamant that Minnesota did not “mortgage the future” with this trade (Twitter link per Tomasson), and reiterated that the Vikings still have eight picks in next year’s draft, per Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Vikings Acquire Sam Bradford From Eagles

September 3rd, 2016 at 12:00pm CST by Zachary Links

12:00pm: If the Vikings make it to the NFC Championship game, the 2018 conditional fourth-rounder headed to the Eagles will turn into a third-rounder, tweets ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. If the Vikings win the Super Bowl, the pick will become a second-rounder.

10:23am: The 2018 fourth-round pick that the Eagles are receiving can become a third-round pick or even a second-round choice, depending on how Bradford performs with the Vikings, Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Bradford’s deal includes a $1MM escalator if he plays 90% of his team’s offensive snaps in 2017, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com notes (on Twitter).

9:33am: The Vikings have acquired Sam Bradford from the Eagles, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Eagles will receive Minnesota’s 2017 first-round pick and 2018 fourth-round pick, per a club announcement confirming the deal."<strong

The Vikings now have a capable and experienced quarterback to step in after Teddy Bridgewater suffered a devastating knee injury earlier this week. Many have criticized the Vikings for not having a quality backup behind Bridgewater, but they have found a respected signal caller to lead the way. However, it remains to be seen if Bradford can pick up the offense with less than a week to go before the season opener. Ultimately, the Vikings felt better about Bradford learning the playbook on short notice than having Shaun Hill under center, despite his familiarity with Norv Turner‘s system.

The Vikings have given up a significant haul to acquire Bradford, who ostensibly would only be their starter for one year while Bridgewater is sidelined. However, the former No.1 overall pick is signed through the 2017 season and that does give the Vikings some insurance in case Bridgewater is not ready to go for the start of next season. Also, if Bradford performs well this year and Bridgewater comes back healthy, the Vikings could find a healthy trade market for Bradford and recoup some of what they sent to Philly.

The Eagles have already paid Bradford his $11MM signing bonus, but they are now off the hook for the remaining $7MM in 2016. In 2017, Bradford will carry a $22.5MM cap number with a $13MM base salary.

With Bradford out of the picture, the Eagles will turn to either Chase Daniel or rookie Carson Wentz to start at QB to begin the season. Daniel, who has a history in Doug Pederson‘s offense, is more likely to get the nod.

The trade reunites Bradford with his old teammate at Oklahoma, Adrian Peterson. Bradford set new career-highs in 2015 with a 65.0% completion percentage and 3,725 yards passing. He also tossed 19 touchdowns against 14 interceptions, leading the club to a 7-7 record in his starts.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Vikings, Eagles Have Discussed Bradford Trade

September 3rd, 2016 at 9:26am CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings and Eagles have discussed a possible trade involving quarterback Sam Bradford, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). However, the Eagles are not looking to move him.

[RELATED: Vikings Looking To Deal Jarius Wright?]

The Eagles, of course, traded up to the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft to select Carson Wentz. They also spent significant money to sign former Chiefs quarterback Chase Daniel. However, Bradford is slated to be under center for Philly when the season gets underway in just over a week. It’s not surprising to hear that the Vikings called on Bradford in the wake of Teddy Bridgewater‘s season-ending injury, but it’s also not surprising to hear that the Eagles have turned down the Vikes.

Bradford, acquired a year ago by Chip Kelly‘s Eagles in a trade with the Rams, has had his ups and downs in 14 starts for Philadelphia in 2015, but his overall numbers have been solid. The Oklahoma product set new career-highs with a 65.0% completion percentage, and 3,725 yards passing. He also tossed 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, leading the club to a 7-7 record in his starts.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eagles Notes: Sproles, Bradford, Dawkins

July 30th, 2016 at 11:44am CST by Ben Levine

The Darren Sproles extension follows a trend by the organization to extend their veteran players. As Jeff McLane of Philly.com writes, the team has already wrapped up 31-year-old tight end Brent Celek and 34-year-old offensive tackle Jason Peters this offseason. However, executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman said the team isn’t following any set rules.

“I think we’re more looking at each individual case as it comes,” said Roseman. “When you talk about those guys, we know what they can still bring to our football team on and off the field. And when you’re implementing some young players it’s good to have a nice mix of guys who have done it before and understand what it was like when teams have had success.”

Instead, Roseman believes extending his veterans sends the right message to their younger teammates.

“I think it’s the message that you’re sending to the team and the players. . . . You do the right thing here, and you’re productive, and you got a chance to stay here,” Roseman said. “And we want people to feel that way on and off the field.”

Let’s take a look at some notes out of Philly…

  • Sproles may have signed a one-year extension yesterday, but the running back is already eyeing the end of his career. “When I’m done playing, I’m going to be an Eagle,” the 33-year-old told Zach Berman of Philly.com. When asked how many productive seasons he has left in the tank, Sproles replied “this year and next year.”
  • The Eagles are slated to have the least amount of cap room in 2017 and 2018, leading some to assume that the team would eventually move on from quarterback Sam Bradford. However, Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com explains why the team could keep Bradford in 2017, with the writer citing a recent quote by Roseman. “We’re not in the business of losing good players,” Roseman said. “That’s our job to figure out scenarios and figure out ways to do that, and we’ve gone through all those scenarios. It’s tighter than it’s been since I’ve been here, but we also felt like it was an opportunity now with where our players were that the longer we waited, the more players we’d probably have to lose. Time is never helpful in these things. We went into it knowing that, but, for sure.”
  • Longtime Eagles safety Brian Dawkins has joined the team’s scouting department, tweets Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Zach Berman of Philly.com notes that Dawkins is the “inaugural recipient” of the Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship, a program that “introduce[s] former players to scouting.”

Eagles Rumors: Bradford, Mathews, Peters

July 24th, 2016 at 8:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

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.

Doug Pederson on Eagles, Final Roster, Absent Players

June 11th, 2016 at 5:54pm CST by Ben Levine

New Eagles coach Doug Pederson recently wrapped up his first mandatory minicamp, and the 48-year-old talked to Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com about the experience. The whole column is worth reading, but we pulled out some of the relevant quotes below…

  • Doug Pederson (vertical)There’s still a long way to go, but Pederson is already beginning to determine which of his 90 players will ultimately make the team. “I think you have an idea in the offseason,” he said. “You obviously know what you had coming back from last year, and of course your roster makeup and chemistry changes every year. It’s a new team, regardless of the new coaching staff or not. Next year we will be a new team, as well. Yeah, you begin to kind of go, ‘OK, pencil in guys here and there,’ and try to figure that out.”
  • Zangaro believes Pederson will have a particularly difficult time widdling down his group of tight ends and running backs, but the head coach already has a rough idea of how many players he’ll want for each position. “And again, as you know, once you get to the regular season and the way games are played, you want to make sure you’re covered in all areas,” he said. “But you go in having a general idea of how many you want at each spot.”
  • One thing that Pederson wasn’t focused on was his previously-absent players. Sam Bradford, Fletcher Cox, and Darren Sproles all missed parts of the previous voluntary workouts, but the coach stayed focused on the players who were present. “I didn’t necessarily worry myself too much about those situations,” he said. “Again, it goes back to just the way the offseason is set up and the fact that the entire program, outside of these last four days, is a voluntary program, and I just can’t – I’ve got to worry about the guys that are here during those times, and focus on those guys…I think at the end of the day, we’re just very fortunate that everybody is here this week and getting through this offseason and getting ready for camp.”

East Notes: Cowboys, Moore, Eagles, Jets

June 3rd, 2016 at 2:41pm CST by Zachary Links

When the offseason began, finding a backup quarterback seemed to be one of the Cowboys‘ top priorities. However, they wound up sticking with Kellen Moore. From the sound of it, the Cowboys are comfortable sticking with him as their No. 2 quarterback, even though Nick Foles appears to be available.

“He’s not a guy that overly impresses you physically,” head coach Jason Garrett said (link via ESPN.com’s Todd Archer). “He’s not an imposing figure when he walks into the room. He doesn’t have an overly powerful arm. He’s not overly athletic. But he has a lot of the things that really good quarterbacks have. He understands the game. He has a good feel for the game. He’s instinctive. He’s a very accurate passer. He’s a quick decision-maker. And he’s a very good leader.”

Here’s more out of the East divisions:

Eagles Notes: Bradford, Wentz, Daniel

June 1st, 2016 at 2:06pm CST by Zachary Links

When Sam Bradford signed a two-year, ~$36MM deal in March, he didn’t envision that his starting job would be in jeopardy. On Wednesday, Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich noted that while Bradford is currently regarded as the team’s top quarterback, nothing is guaranteed for him.

“I said there’s order, and the order is Sam’s No. 1, Chase [Daniel] is No. 2, and Carson [Wentz] is No. 3,” Reich said (link via Zach Berman of The Inquirer). “But you compete every day at practice. That’s the same – Jason Peters is the No. 1 left tackle, and so on and so forth –and it’s the same at every position. I would never change that. Sam’s No. 1. Chase is No. 2. Carson is No. 3. And you compete every day.”

Here’s more on the Eagles and their strange QB situation:

  • Recently, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie indicated to Jenny Vrentas of The MMQB that the team’s current quarterback structure was planned to be this way. “Having a lot of assets at the most important position in the NFL is a good strategic move for now. And it can only benefit us,” Lurie said. “Because in the NFL, it’s the one position you can’t just go get. And so when you have an opportunity, you’ve gotta take your shot, and you’ve gotta be bold. Otherwise, if you say to yourself, you know, it is probably a 50-50 shot that maybe the quarterback will be really good, you can’t let that deter you. So that’s how I look at it: You either have a really good QB and you compete for the Super Bowl, or you don’t and you are probably not competing for the Super Bowl. And that’s simple.”
  • ESPN.com’s Phil Sheridan calls shenanigans on this notion, arguing that the Eagles simply signed Bradford and Daniel when they held the No. 13 overall pick. At the time, they didn’t know that they would be able to trade up to No. 2, but when the opportunity presented itself, they went ahead and pulled the trigger anyway.
  • Earlier this week, one Eagles beat reporter observed that Wentz seems to be picking up the new playbook faster than Bradford.
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