How Sam Bradford’s Contract Shapes The Quarterback Market

Somehow, Sam Bradford is still an employed quarterback. And not only employed, but very, very well paid.

On Tuesday the Philadelphia Eagles announced they signed Bradford to a two-year, $36 million deal, with $26 million of that guaranteed. All this for a quarterback who threw for 3,725 yards, 19 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, led the Eagles to a resounding 7–9 record, and got Chip Kelly fired. Kids, become a quarterback.

How does Bradford keep getting paid? He’s never had an amazing season at quarterback and really the only thing that’s on his resume is that he was the first overall pick back in 2010. That’s it.

He’s played an entire season just twice, coincidentally the same number of times he’s torn his ACL. He’s never had a winning season. He’s never played in the playoffs. He’s never thrown more than 21 touchdowns in a season. Yet, throughout his career he’s managed to always get paid. And I mean paid:

Tom Brady has made $162,779,500 throughout his career. Just putting that out there.

While Eagles fans might be jumping from the rafters at this news, you can bet every free agent quarterback (or soon to be free agent, for that matter) is uncontrollably giggling at the standard this contract now sets.

The first name that jumps to mind is Ryan Fitzpatrick, who threw for 3,905 yards, 31 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and almost brought the New York Jets to the playoffs. If the taped together knees of Sam Bradford are worth $36 million over two years, you can bet Fitzpatrick’s Harvard educated beard is worth more.

Or how about Tyrod Taylor? While he’s signed through next season, I’m sure he’s already making plans for the small fortune he’ll be given to stick around in the snowy fields of Buffalo.

And let us not forget about pièce de résistance of the quarterback market: Misour Brock Osweiler.

If it wasn’t for him, the Denver Broncos wouldn’t have even made the playoffs, let alone win a Super Bowl. He really is the unsung hero of Peyton Manning’s (possible) storybook ending, and he’ll likely be the largest beneficiary of Bradford’s ridiculous contract.

Even Robert Griffin III has a chance to make money and that hasn’t happened since he glumly told me a footlong sub is now only five dollars.

With the rise in the salary cap, the importance of the quarterback position and the general lack of good ones on the open market, teams are going to be paying through the nose to keep their guys in-house this year and in the future. Every quarterback who has a halfway decent season is going to point to Sam Bradford and say, “I want that”. The fact is, the mid-tier quarterback market is non-existent; you either get paid big money or get paid the risible backup/rookie money.

Just wait till Andrew Luck is a free agent, it could set a new standard for guaranteed money.

Here’s a good breakdown of some of the finer points of Bradford’s deal:

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