Whatever Sam Bradford looked to accomplish when he stopped answering calls from the Philadelphia Eagles and demanded a trade definitely didn't get done. Instead, the 28-year-old quarterback returned to the team on Monday with his tail between his legs after missing two weeks of voluntary workouts.
Sam Bradford ends pointless holdout with tail between his legs
Sam Bradford’s holdout made no sense and accomplished nothing.
Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports
“I’m excited to be back on the field today with my teammates and coaches,” Bradford said in a statement given to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “The business-side of football is sometimes a necessary consideration. My attention and efforts are focused on the participation in and preparation for a championship season: I am committed to my teammates and the Eagles organization for nothing less.”
Bradford’s correct that the business-side of football often requires consideration and holdouts are sometimes necessary for a player. His doesn’t appear to be one of those cases.
He signed a two-year, $36 million deal in March with $26 million guaranteed. The contract pays $18 million per year, a strong amount for a player with a career passer rating of 81.0. But Bradford wasn’t looking for a better contract. He was just upset when the Eagles made a significant investment in the 2016 NFL Draft at the quarterback position.
The Eagles believe they found the quarterback of the future for the franchise by taking Carson Wentz with the No. 2 pick, but don’t believe he’ll be ready to play right away. Instead, the plan was for Wentz to learn behind Bradford, while the North Dakota State product adjusts to the jump from the FCS to the NFL.
In a competition between Bradford, Wentz and Chase Daniel -- who received a three-year, $21 million deal in March -- the winner should be Bradford. Even if his agent believes the competition will be biased against him, Bradford evidently believes he’s good enough to deserve a job competition-free. So, he should easily be good enough to beat out a career backup and a rookie from the FCS, right?
The business side of football is sometimes a necessary consideration. So is common sense.
If Bradford wants to play for an organization that makes him the sole option at quarterback, he’ll need to do better than the 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions he threw in 2015. A lot better.
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