Minnesota Vikings may not keep Sam Bradford beyond 2017
Jan 1, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford (8) throws during the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Teddy Bridgewater Injury Update: No guarantee he returns
Devin Booker celebrated P.J. Tucker staying with Suns, seconds before trade announced
Faced with losing starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater just before the start of last season, the Minnesota Vikings had no trade leverage before surrendering a first-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for Sam Bradford.
The former No. 1 overall pick could do virtually no wrong as he started the final four games of a 5-0 start, but an injury-hampered and talent poor Vikings' offensive line led to a conservative passing game. Bradford set a single-season NFL record for completion percentage (71.6 percent) with 20 touchdowns and just five interceptions in his 15 games last year, and he did about as well as could be expected with a bad offensive line and no running game to support him.
Vikings' general manager Rick Spielman explained at the time that part of the appeal to trading for Bradford was he had two years left on his contract. With Bridgewater facing a lengthy recovery from a significant torn ACL, having someone in place who could start Week 1 of the 2017 season was important.
Bridgewater may miss all of next season, and at a minimum, he's making very slow progress in his recovery. Bradford's agent is surely starting to consider the future security of his client, but during his media session on Thursday Spielman doesn't appear ready to commit beyond next season.
Since Bridgewater's health and future is in question, and it may be for a while, the Vikings' quarterback situation is technically "in flux." But Bradford is as good as they'll get for next season and if the situation around him is improved, with a full offseason in Pat Shurmur's system, better results should follow.
Making an unreasonable long-term commitment to Bradford is not advisable, but a two-year contract extension for a quarterback that still won't turn 30 until November is viable. Either as a fallback option for Bridgewater, or perhaps a bridge quarterback to another young signal caller if Bridgewater's health dictates it, keeping Bradford around beyond next season has to be on the Vikings' radar no matter what Spielman says.