Bye Bye Bradford

The Sam Bradford era in St. Louis is officially over.  On Tuesday the Rams traded Bradford and a 5^th round draft, as well as a possible conditional pick next year to the Philadelphia Eagles for quarterback Nick Foles, a 4^th round draft pick and a 2^nd round pick next year.  Bradford was the 1^st overall draft pick by the Rams in 2010 and won the Offensive Rookie of the Year that season.  Foles was drafted in the 3^rd round in 2012 by the Eagles.  He made the Probowl during the 2013-2014 season when he threw for 2,891 yards, 27 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. 

I was a huge Sam Bradford supporter from the beginning.  The man won rookie of the year with one of the worst receiving corps I have ever seen.  He was smart.  He knew what his team was capable of and what he needed to do to help them be successful.  However thus far, Bradford’s career has been marred by bad luck.  He was slow to repeat his rookie success.  I believe that is partially due to the fact he had three different offensive coordinators during his first three seasons, having to learn three different offenses.  That is a lot to expect of a young player.  Most players have enough trouble adjusting to playing in the NFL in the first place.  Also, Bradford’s career has been marred with injury, including a high ankle sprain in 2011 and two left ACL tears in 2013 and 2014. 

And those injuries are the key to this trade.  Despite his potential and flashes of success, when it comes down to it, Bradford has not been able to stay healthy.  It doesn’t matter how much potential a player has if they are not on the field.  Bradford could very well be healthy now and go on to future success.  It would not surprise me in the least.  But what it comes down to is that Bradford is not a smart investment anymore.  The Indianapolis Colts faced a decision like this in 2012 when future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning had spinal fusion surgery and his future was uncertain.  Ultimately the Colts released Manning because despite his success, it was not a wise investment to keep him and for him to possibly not even play.   Manning ended up signing with the Denver Broncos and making it to the Superbowl in 2014.  The decision also worked out well for the Colts, who ended up drafting Andrew Luck who has made the Probowl each year and has the Colts poised as one of the top teams in the NFL currently.  Bradford is not on the same level as Manning obviously, but the concept is the same. 

Another part of this trade is the draft picks.  This year the Rams move up a pick from the 5^th round to the 4^th round and gain a 2^nd round pick next year.  This may be overlooked, but is of some importance.  This year the Rams only have 6 picks for the seven rounds, and considering the draft is how St. Louis typically builds its team, moving up a round could be key.  Plus a second round pick next year means adding a potential starter.  The Eagles do receive a conditional pick next year based on how much Bradford plays.  If he misses the entire year, the Eagles will get a 4^th round pick and if he plays less than 50% of the snaps, they get a 5^th round pick.  Either way the Rams win on the draft pick side of the deal.  Plus the Rams also save $11.5 million, which can now be used to add other talent to the team.

Overall I am a fan of this trade.  As stated before, I am a huge Sam Bradford supporter, and though this trade does hurt a little, I wish him the best of luck in Philadelphia. However, the Rams need a quarterback who can be on the field, and coming off two ACL surgeries, Bradford is not a good option.  Nick Foles has a great amount of potential, already having made one Probowl in his young career.  He is still learning, but if he can stay on the field, that’s already more than what Bradford has been able to do.  In the end the Rams gave up an injury-plagued quarterback with potential for a Probowl caliber quarterback.  I would say that is a pretty good deal for St. Louis.