The Philadelphia Eagles are still uncertain about many aspects of their immediate future, including who will take control of the still-vacant head of personnel position.
But it almost certainly seems like they know what will happen at quarterback.
Sam Bradford is on the roster for now but save for an exclusive negotiation period coming up, he will be a free agent by the second week of March. Bradford went 7-7 this season as a starter with 3,725 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He finished with a 30-of-38 performance for 320 yards and two touchdowns against the New York Giants, ending what was an uneven campaign on a positive note.
In his opening news conference as Eagles head coach, Doug Pederson suggested that he had an offense that would fit Bradford quite well.
"I think Sam's a quality quarterback, I think he's a top-notch quarterback," said Pederson, who has signed a five-year deal with the Eagles, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. "Look at what he did the last half of the season. The numbers he was able to put up -- he's a quarterback that would fit perfectly into a system I'm going to bring. And so, as we evaluate that position, those decisions will be made as we go."
Over his final eight games, Bradford was 202-304 for 2,164 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Bradford's price tag will be interesting considering that he could hit the market with some stiff competition. Brock Osweiler, Kirk Cousins and, on a lower tier, Drew Stanton and Ryan Fitzpatrick could all be free agents. There is no shortage of teams in need, but if Cousins and Osweiler hit March without contracts, would they garner more attention?
The hope with Bradford was that Chip Kelly's offense could finally free him from years of ho-hum, injury-plagued football. And in some moments, it did. The final evaluation, though, will be a difficult one for a new head coach that is still getting his feet wet in the profession.
His former boss and mentor, Andy Reid, had no problem taking a quarterback that needed saving -- Alex Smith -- and turning him into a star. Will Pederson have the same hot hand?
