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Kern: Without leverage, what is Sam Bradford's next move?

    by Mike Kern
    Published 
It’s hard for me to get where Sam Bradford is coming from. Or where he thinks he might be going or what his next move is.
He could have gone out on the market as a free agent and tried to find the best place for him and make the best deal. That was an option. Instead, he returned to the Eagles for a short-term contract worth a lot of money, maybe more than he deserves based on what he’s accomplished. But quarterbacks always get overpaid.
He and his agent, who supposedly is one of the best, must have known that the Birds weren’t counting on him still being here in, say, 2020. Or even next year. So am I missing something? Because the message from the team seemed to be quite clear: we’re not necessarily in love with you, but we’re willing to take a shot for another year or two to see what happens. And Bradford agreed to those terms, mostly because there didn’t seem to be many teams that were willing to do any more for him at the time.
So what’s changed? Not much, as far as I can tell. Except that Sam now feels somebody has done him wrong by going out and moving up in the draft to take his replacement. Which means he wants out. But to where, for what? Are the Birds just supposed to let him go and take a financial hit? Is another team willing to assure Bradford that he’s their guy going forward? It seems to me that he’s done nothing except back himself into a tough spot. And that’s usually not a good thing.
Other teams that could have taken a chance on him didn’t, for whatever reasons. If Bradford is such a valuable commodity, why didn’t they? All it takes is one team to want you. And I’m a Bradford guy. I think he could be in that 10 to 15 range when it comes to grading the position league-wide. And that’s not bad. Yet the way he’s acting, you’d think he’s done more than he has.
Wouldn’t the smart move, especially with a new system, have been to come in and be the starting quarterback and play to a level that would get other teams interested in you come next offseason? Do you really want to show potential suitors this side of you? It’s OK to be unhappy, particularly if you feel like you got blindsided. Still, it’s a business. This isn’t how you handle it. You have to be a professional, live up to certain responsibilities. That’s part of being the man, too.
Maybe the Eagles should give him permission to talk to other teams to see what’s out there. My guess is not much. And there are teams whose quarterback situation is hardly solidified. If you really want to force someone’s hand, you need some leverage. I’m not sure Sam has any, unless he just plans on sitting out the whole season. And I’m not sure that would get anyone else interested anyway. Because the jury is still out on what he is at this stage in his career.
And that’s the point. He’s not dealing from strength. If the Eagles had taken Jacoby Brissett or Cody Kessler in the third round instead, would Bradford have reacted the same way? Would he feel as threatened? What if he goes out and has a Pro Bowl season and the Eagles win a playoff game? Then he might be in demand. And then he could get his wish.
That’s on him, not the Birds. He could have everything to gain. Sometimes you have to earn what you want. Or don’t sign up for it.
    MK
    Mike Kern
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