Adrian Fedkiw
Apparently Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was the one who really wanted Sam Bradford back. The reasoning? Lurie wants to be “competitive” this season, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com.
According to a person familiar with the situation with requested anonymity, it was owner Jeffrey Lurie who was the driving force behind the team’s decision to re-sign Bradford, as opposed to top personnel executive Howie Roseman or head coach Doug Pederson.
Lurie’s desire to bring Bradford back stems from his desire to remain competitive, as opposed to entering a full rebuild, which the team would have likely endured had they let Bradford walk. For Lurie, it is a sign of how he has become much more involved in the day-to-day runnings of the football operations.
The NFC East could be up for grabs again this season, another potential reason for Lurie’s desire to re-sign Bradford. Despite their year-long struggles, the Eagles remained in the hunt last year until the Washington Redskins beat them 38-24 at the Linc in Week 16.
Bradford wound up signing a two-year, $35 million deal with $22 million guaranteed. And this was before the Eagles traded up for Carson Wentz and signed Chase Daniel. The Eagles have spent $57 million on their quarterbacks this season and $34 million is guaranteed. They are the only team in the league with $10-or-more million invested into the position.
Bradford will be coming into camp healthy for the first time in three years, which is a huge plus, but where’s his head at? Bradford appears to have gotten over the frustration of the Eagles moving up in the draft and selecting Wentz. He demanded to be traded at first and when there wasn’t a market for him, he rescinded it and reported to Eagles voluntary workouts in May.
Bradford started slow over his first six games last year, tossing nine interceptions as the Eagles began 3-3. He did finish the season strong, however, racking up 10 touchdowns to only four interceptions over his final seven contests. If that momentum carries over into this season, maybe the Eagles can be players for a divisional crown.