Bradford says he wants to return to Eagles

Sam Bradford said after the Eagles' 38-24 loss to the Washington Redskins on Saturday that he wants to return to Philadelphia next season. It was the most emphatic the free-agent-to-be has been about his future, and he put the onus on the organization to make the decision.

"I'd like to be back here," Bradford said, "but that's not my choice."

Eagles coach Chip Kelly previously said he wants Bradford back and that the team did not trade for Bradford so he would only be in Philadelphia for one season. Bradford was aware of Kelly's comments, but said there have not yet been any contract discussions.

"I want to be back here, like I said," Bradford said. "Obviously, we are not at the stage where we have  been talking about that, but if it does present itself and I do have the opportunity, this is where I want to be."

Bradford said he has grown in the Eagles' offense. He went 37 of 56 for 380 yards for one touchdown Saturday, and that included key drops from some of his receivers. After playing in four different systems during his career, Bradford said he does not want to learn a new scheme.

"I've enjoyed my time here," Bradford said. "I've enjoyed being in Philadelphia. I think throughout my career, I've learned that learning new offenses every year, it's just hard to continue to improve. You are always learning. You are learning new verbiage, learning new plays, learning new systems. And I would really like to stay in the same one and have the opportunity to play a second year."

Jason Peters did not finish Saturday's game. He had an elbow injury in the first quarter, but returned to play. Kelly did not offer a reason why Peters did not finish the game, but two reports Sunday said that Peters removed himself from the game when it was out reach because he did not want to get injured.

Peters played 56 offensive snaps. He was replaced by Dennis Kelly, who played 25 offensive snaps.

A 12-year veteran, Peters made his eighth Pro Bowl this season in large part due to his reputation as an elite lineman. He's long been an anchor on the Eagles' line, but the team will have a decision to make about his future this offseason. He will count $9.3 million against the salary cap in 2016, and the team would take a $3 million cap hit if they cut him to open up space.

Defensive coordinator Bill Davis' job security has come under scrutiny after opponents scored at least 38 points against the Eagles in four of the team's past six games. Some of those points were not scored against the Eagles' defense, but there's been enough to signal concern in a unit that started the season with promise. Davis is in his third year as Eagles' defensive coordinator and said he does not think about his future.

"That's for other men to decide that," Davis said. "What I think about is how I'm going to get this group of men to play next week. That's all I've done every day and that's all I'll do. I've been down this road where you have seasons that are disappointing and everybody is looking for the blame game. As a team, we have to make sure that we hang together and take all the accountability that we need. The city of Philadelphia, we have to give them better."

Kelly said the Eagles will not change their approach to the Week 17 game against the New York Giants even though it does not have postseason implications. The Eagles will treat it the way they did last season, when they beat the Giants in the season finale.

"We are trying to go win the football game," Kelly said. "If someone told me we don't have to go try and win a game, then we are in the wrong spot. We have the opportunity to go play one more game and we are going to go try to win it."