As training camp draws closer, so too does speculation and discussion over who the Eagles will start at quarterback in 2015.
As the debate wears on, it seems more people want to pencil in Mark Sanchez than Sam Bradford.
But Bradford's decision to play out the final year of his contract, instead of work on a restructured extension with the Eagles, should seal his fate as the 2015 starter and now bears his hopes of being a starter in the future.
Bradford takes the risk of potentially ending his career as a starter by making the decision. Either he is that confident in his health or he that desperately wants to start. Either way, the risk is huge.
What makes it risky for Bradford is that he has no safety net. If he suffers a third injury to the knee that has already taken away one season of his career and cut short another, he won't be able to return from this one with the same status.
Forget the Heisman. Forget being the first overall pick. The run to make it in the NFL will be over.
But perhaps this is a move of confidence. Three quarterbacks have shown success in Chip Kelly's offense. Michael Vick was Kelly's first starter. Then Nick Foles took the NFL world by storm. And when Foles faded and eventually was lost for the season due to injury in 2014, Sanchez filled in with great success as well.
There's no reason to believe that Bradford couldn't join the likes of the three, especially if he's playing with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. And if that's the case, the Eagles avoid making a mistake with Bradford before seeing him take the field.
If the Eagles would have restructured Bradford's contract, one part would have made clear sense. Giving a quarterback who hasn't played in nearly two years almost $13 million is certainly lofty. But even if that number were reduced, how many more years would have been added? Two? Three? Four?
Job security means a lot to athletes, especially those in the most important positions. It would have been ill-advised of the Eagles to give a contract extension of three or four years to Bradford without seeing him in game action.
So now Bradford gets his chance. Yes, he's trying to maximize his value league-wide. But in addition, the Eagles get a look at him to determine his worth so that when the time comes for contract negotiations, an appropriate value can be used, instead of handing over years of the future to a quarterback whose future is cloudy at best.
It is a huge risk for Bradford. It is a huge blessing in disguise for the Eagles, who get a look at Bradford for one year to determine whether he can be their quarterback of the future or not.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
