Today was the final day, where NFL teams could use the franchise tag on a certain player before the 4:00 p.m. deadline. The Philadelphia Eagles were one of many teams, who were debating on using franchise tag on the quarterback position. As the 4:00 p.m. deadline came and went, there was no word on if the Eagles had used the tag on quarterback Sam Bradford.
But minutes later, the Eagles announced that they have agreed to terms on a two-year deal with Bradford. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Eagles gave Bradford, a two-year, $36 million deal with $26 million guaranteed.
#Eagles and QB Sam Bradford agree to terms on a new two-year contract. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/YU4mgVdvyd
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) March 1, 2016
Since the Eagles’ regular season finale against the New York Giants, there has been a cloud of uncertainty around the quarterback position. Will Bradford return or will the Eagles go in a different direction either in the NFL Draft or free agency? On Monday, former Eagles President Joe Banner said on Twitter that it was a 90 percent chance that Bradford would re-sign with Philadelphia.
This season, Bradford stayed healthy and played solid, completing a career-high 65.0-percent of his passes, while throwing for 3,725 yards (career-high), 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. With the Eagles locking up Bradford to a two-year deal, they are not married to him long-term but it gives them a small window to see what he can do under new head coach Doug Pederson.
Finally, this new deal for Bradford gives him security but also puts pressure on him to perform better than what he did in 2015. Now, it will be interesting to see what the Eagles do in the NFL Draft as they still need to draft a quarterback to develop for the future. The question now is will they draft a quarterback with the 13th overall pick or will they wait till the later rounds?
Update
On Tuesday evening, ESPN and Sports Illustrated’s Andrew Brandt broke down Bradford’s new two-year deal.
Some details on Bradford/Eagles deal: of $26M total guarantee, $22M fully guaranteed upon signing. $18M in 2016, up to $20M w/playoff wins.
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) March 1, 2016
Bradford details continued: $11M signing bonus, $7M salary in 2016. $4M of 2017 salary fully guaranteed, another $4M guaranteed for injury.
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) March 1, 2016
Bradford gets fully secured $22M, $2M more than Tag w/playoff upside. Eagles get 2nd year option with $4M risk, another $4M if major injury.
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) March 2, 2016
It looks like the Eagles could cut ties with Bradford after year one, if things goes sour. Bradford’s contract is a cap friendly deal as the Eagles are looking at the bigger picture, when it comes to free agency and extending defensive lineman Fletcher Cox.
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