Report: Sam Bradford Wouldn’t Sign Extension with Browns
According to Peter King, like others have said, the Cleveland Browns tried to trade for Sam Bradford before he got moved to the Philadelphia Eagles. Bradford ended up in Philly partially because the St. Louis Rams wanted a quarterback, Nick Foles, as a part of the trade return. He, according to King, didn’t end up in Cleveland also because he was not willing to sign a contract extension with the Browns, but is with the Eagles:
"I think I can now say with certainty that The Other Team in the chase for Sam Bradford—as many have inferred—was Cleveland. The Browns would have been willing to part with a first-round pick in either 2015 or 2016 (I do not know which year) for Bradford, but there were two problems: One, the Browns didn’t have a quarterback to give in return, and Philadelphia was willing to fork over Nick Foles. Two, Bradford would not have been willing to sign a new contract this off-season if he were traded to Cleveland, and he is willing to consider an extension in Philadelphia. So the Philly deal was really the only one that made sense for the Rams and for Bradford, in the end."
Now that is a slap in the face. Obviously the Browns would have struggled to figure out how to make the Rams happy related to trade parameters first. That likely would have made the team overpay in draft considerations since they do not have a QB to return to St. Louis. Yet the Browns would have wanted Bradford, he of many injuries and missed seasons, to sign an extension in Cleveland. The Browns couldn’t move all those pieces and only have him for one season.
A few things we think we learned from this:
- QBs would rather play in Chip Kelly’s system than the uncertainty that has been Cleveland for years.
- Duh!
- Bradford is not going to be targeted by the Browns in some Draft Day trade so the Eagles can get Marcus Mariota.
- The Browns are not planning anything in the future with Johnny Manziel.
- The team will be aggressive in looking for a QB which could mean a trade up for Mariota.
- The Browns, like the fans, don’t believe Josh McCown is “The Guy” but got the best free agent QB they could.
The fact that they were interested in trading for Bradford isn’t a huge surprise. That they were pushing for an extension is a little more shocking. Bradford has had a number of injuries in his history, missing two full seasons, and hasn’t exactly lit it up when on the field. He would be a definite upgrade to McCown but how long he would be able to stay on the field would always be a question, especially with the luck Cleveland sports has had.
Any thought that the team has Johnny Manziel in their long term plans should go out the window with this news. While they may hope that he can become something, they are not planning on it. That means they will not take Manziel into account when making decisions in the draft, especially at the QB position. Worst case scenario is that he flames out and he was a terrible pick. Best case is the Browns either have their starter or have Manziel and another starter and move Manziel. Planning on Manziel does not seem in the plans.
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Bradford having a preference of the Eagles is not shocking, though we believe many will spin this against the Browns. Chip Kelly’s offense is QB friendly, gets the ball out quickly and can generally protect the QB. Kelly made Foles look like he could be a franchise QB, something very few ever thought possible. Bradford has the skill base that Foles never had and could excel in Philly, IF he stays healthy. Preferring the Eagles over most other NFL teams, for a QB, is just smart.
What do you think of this Sam Bradford report?