The Philadelphia Eagles could be left without a starting quarterback if they allow Sam Bradford to hit the free agent market next month, but it sounds like that is a risk the team is willing to take.
Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News does not expect the Eagles to use the franchise tag or transition tag on Bradford. While tagging Bradford would allow the Eagles to reevaluate their quarterback position again next offseason, they don’t seem to think highly enough of him to justify tying up $20 million of their salary cap for 2016.
The transition tag, which would give Bradford a salary equivalent to the top-10 highest-paid players at his position while allowing him to negotiate with other teams, seems less likely than the franchise tag.
Doug Pederson spoke very highly of Bradford when the Eagles hired the former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator as their head coach. However, Bowen speculates that Pederson could target Brock Osweiler if the Denver Broncos let him test the market. Pederson could also look to acquire someone like Chase Daniel, who he coached in Kansas City, or use the No. 13 overall pick to draft a quarterback and build around him.
The Eagles also have Mark Sanchez under contract, but there has been no indication that Pederson is planning on using him as a starter.
There have been reports that Bradford has turned down some respectable long-term extension offers from the Eagles, but the 28-year-old had a great response when asked about those rumors several months ago. Don’t be surprised if Pederson goes in another direction.
