Eagles’ Bradford: ‘This is where I wanted to be’
Sam Bradford is so comfortable with the direction the Eagles are headed he wasn’t tempted to test free agency or demand more than two years on his new contract.
PHILADELPHIA » Sam Bradford is so comfortable with the direction the Eagles are headed he wasn’t tempted to test free agency or demand more than two years on his new contract.
The Eagles made him feel wanted despite missing the playoffs, firing the head coach who traded for him and hiring a new coach he’d never met.
“This is where I wanted to be,” Bradford said Thursday at the NovaCare Complex. “Obviously, there was some change, some turnover but I think we have a great group of guys in that locker room. I really enjoyed my time here last year. I built some great relationships with some of those guys. That’s what I want to take the field with on Sundays. That’s why Iwanted to come back here.
“So there really wasn’t any temptation for me to do it.”
Bradford accepted a two-year deal that could be worth $36 million. It includes an $11 million signing bonus and a fully guaranteed base salary of $7 million this season. Another $4 million is guaranteed in 2017.
The Eagles spoke about Bradford being the centerpiece of their offseason. The veteran guided them to a 7-7 record as a starter, the last victory under Pat Shurmur, the interim head coach when Chip Kelly was fired.
“We felt strongly about having Sam back,” new head coach Doug Pederson said. “So we’re excited that he’s here and locked in for this next year.”
Happy as the Eagles are with Bradford, they haven’t totally ruled out selecting a quarterback with the 13th pick in the upcoming NFL draft. The top three rated quarterbacks are Carson Wentz, Jared Goff and Paxton Lynch. If Wentz or Lynch fall, the lottery could get interesting,
“I don’t know about 13,” Pederson said. “But obviously if the right guy’s at 13, we’ve also got to do what’s best for the Philadelphia Eagles. That’s a critical spot.”
Bradford, 28, likes the West Coast offense concepts Pederson uses. Bradford appreciates the chemistry he has with a receiver corps that includes Zach Ertz, Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor.
Pederson and football operations chief Howie Roseman said the personnel on the offensive line would be upgraded. Pederson intimated itmight not happen totally through the draft. The so-called tampering period of free agency begins March 7.
Regardless of who blocks or runs with the ball, Bradford is as comfortable and healthy as he’s ever been, convinced the knee issues and the bad luck are in the rearview mirror.
“I’m not really concerned with the length of the contract,” Bradford said. “My main objective was to be back in Philadelphia. It so happened it was only a two-year deal and that’s perfectly fine with me.”
Badgered about the length of the deal, Bradford relented.
“I would have preferred a 100year deal if they wanted to give it to me,” he said. “It’s one of those things. I just want to be back in Philadelphia. It so happened that my agent felt like it was a great deal for both sides. I think the organization felt the same way. And I think as long as I continue toplay the way I know I can, it shouldn’t really matter.’”
Pederson said he pictured Bradford as the guy at quarterback while interviewing for the Eagles’ coaching job.
“Yeah, at that time, I did,” Pederson said. “I felt like it was in my mind that you’d love to have him back. Free agency can be a funny thing going into. You don’t blame a player for wanting to test free agency. I know we’re not there yet but it could have happened.”
Bradford said he told Roseman after the season he wanted to be back. Roseman ultimately was the guy who struck the deal with Tom Condon, who also has his hands full figuring out what to do with client Peyton Manning. In addition to the big bucks, Roseman’s selling point was stability, a characteristic the Eagles took for granted after trading Donovan McNabb to Washington.
“The other thing about it is, having a guy start 16 games,” Roseman said. “We haven’t had that in a long time. And so, I think, the longer quarterbacks play, the more continuity you have throughout your organization. It helps you win. It helps you develop programs. Then you can build on it. You can build it like a layer cake. You can build those layers and have a chance to compete every year. And so, there’s no question about it. It’s important. And when you start over all the time, it’s bad. You’re changing schemes, you’re changing players. You’re trying to build to their strengths, instead of taking guys who you know your strengths.”
Bradford hasn’t been healthy enough to play back-to-back complete seasons since the St. Louis Rams took him off the board with the first overall pick in the 2010 draft. Last year he missed two starts with shoulder and concussion issues.
“I think if you look at any organization stability is the key to success most of the time,” Bradford said. “I think if you look at some of the quarterbacks and the teams in this league who have been successful for a long time, they’ve had stability. So I do think it is a key to success. I don’t think it’s the only key. Obviously we have a new staff here and we’re all really excited about it. Hopefully it will be something we’re going to spend the next five, 10 years together and create that stability because at some point you have to do that. That’s really what we’re looking to start here.”