For Eagles and Bradford, patience is key

Yesterday, it was reported that the Eagles and Sam Bradford had engaged in discussions regarding a short-term contract extension to keep the quarterback in Philadelphia beyond 2015, according to ESPN's Ed Werder. 

Source: #Eagles discussing with QB Sam Bradford possible short extension committing him to team beyond 2015, final year of his contract.

— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) August 4, 2015

Bradford had previously stated that he was going to take a gamble on himself and his recovering ACL by playing out the final year of his contract, in which he is set to make $12.95 million. 

For 27-year-old, money isn't much of an issue. He is entering the final year of the rookie contract he signed with the St. Louis Rams back in 2010. He has collected $65 million from that deal, so financial security is likely not a major concern for Bradford at the moment.

For the Eagles, their thinking is that they could get Bradford as a short-term bargain now, instead of having to pay him upwards of $20 million if he does have a great season. 

Any potential deal between the two parties would be in the Eagles' favor, as it should be. The Eagles want some stability at the quarterback position. Signing Bradford to an extension would accomplish that, but the team doesn't want to handcuff themselves to a quarterback with an injury history like Bradford's.

Chip Kelly doesn't really see his injury history as a concern, though, and used two elite quarterbacks' past injuries as examples to justify how Bradford could have success this season. 

"Peyton Manning switched teams because of an injury,'' Kelly told reporters. "Drew Brees switched teams because of an injury. So we went down that path."

Kelly made the decision to ship Nick Foles and a second-round pick for Bradford because he believed in his ability. He didn't see the ACL injuries as much of a concern. If he did, he probably would not have pulled the trigger. If Kelly has that much faith in the sixth-year quarterback, then it would make sense to keep him around. 

However, Bradford has to prove that he can stay healthy this season. Since 2011, the former number one draft-pick has played just 33 games after playing only seven in 2013 and missing all of 2014 due to consecutive ACL injuries. 

A short-term deal could make sense for Bradford if he's worried about suffering a major injury yet again. If he takes the gamble on himself by playing out his final year and ultimately gets hurt, then his NFL career could very well be over as no team will be willing to take a chance on an injury-prone quarterback. 

That being said, an extension would have to favor the Eagles, with incentives littering the text of any deal. That's the way it should be, since Bradford's leverage is as low as it'll ever be. He hasn't proven that he can stay on the field, and even when he has been, he hasn't nearly lived up to his number one pick potential. 

So, why would Bradford accept a lopsided deal? Why not pull a Jeremy Maclin and take a gamble on himself—in Kelly's quarterback-friendly offense nonetheless—and hope that he stays healthy and put up impressive numbers? By then, the leverage will surely shift in his favor. 

While the Eagles want quarterback stability, signing Bradford—a player who has been anything but stable—would be a foolish decision—especially in the wake of Travis Long's torn ACL (his third over the last four years), which proves how unpredictable ACL-related injuries can be.  

Of course, the fear the Eagles have is that Bradford does take a gamble, has a fantastic year, and then walks to take more money from another team in free agency. They just experienced a similar scenario with Maclin, who signed a lucrative five-year, $55 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs after having a career-year coming off a torn ACL. 

If Bradford has a Maclin-esque season, the Eagles don't want to watch their potential franchise quarterback leave town to take more money elsewhere. It'll be up to them to ante up, and out-bid and give Bradford an offer he can't refuse. 

The franchise tag, which will amount to roughly $18-$20 million, is always a last resort for the Eagles next off season if Bradford does have a great season and the team wants to see him duplicate it.

When the 2015 season is all said and done, and the Eagles and Kelly are truly enamored with Bradford at the end of this season, then a contract extension should be discussed. 

Until then, however, both sides need to exercise patience.