Report: Sam Bradford asked for $25M a year from Eagles in contract talks
By Will Brinson | NFL Writer
January 20, 2016 5:23 pm ET
Quarterbacks have all the leverage in the NFL when it comes to contract negotiations. ButSam Bradford's reported demands from the Eagles were a bit out of whack with the current market.
Appearing on NFL Insiders Wednesday, ESPN's Jim Trotter reported, via The Big Lead, that Bradford wanted a whopper from Philly in his most recent contract chatter, asking for $25 million a year when discussing a contract with Chip Kelly.
"One of the reasons Chip didn't try and extend Sam right away, I'm told, is Tom Condon, Bradford's agent, came in asking for $25 million a year," Trotter said. "Well, that's not going to fly in Philadelphia. Now the question becomes what is Sam going to want going forward?"
We don't have any way of knowing when this reported $25 million demand was made, although reports did emerge in August about Bradford and the Eagles working on a contract extension.
Kelly traded Nick Foles for Bradford at the start of the 2015 league year before revamping his roster in free agency. (Aside: Chip's GM moves led to his downfall, but let's not pretend trading Foles for Bradford mattered in the long run vs. the alternative.)
Many people said Kelly could keep Bradford healthy for a full season and the quarterback could thrive in the Eagles offense. Bradford showed flashes at times but wasn't the answer in Philly, throwing for 3,725 yards and only 19 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. He made some extremely questionable decisions throughout the season, particularly in the red zone, and also dealt with a shoulder injury that caused him to miss two games.
If Bradford had blown up and threw for, say, 27 touchdowns and just two picks (numbers Foles achieved in just 10 games in 2013) with great yardage numbers and a 10-win season for Philly, maybe this discussion is different.
Maybe. Kelly would still be coach, the Eagles would be full of optimism and Bradford's future would be subject to serious scrutiny, for much different reasons.
But Bradford getting $25 million from the Eagles with no production on the field just wasn't going to happen.
