After Teddy Bridgewater went down with a season-ending injury during practice, everyone knew the Minnesota Vikings would be scrambling for a quarterback replacement with little time left before the start of the regular season. NFL general managers waiting to see if the Vikings would make a move for their backup quarterback in the hopes of getting some value out of a desperate Minnesota front office.
Knowing that Vikings general manager Rick Spielman was pressing to find a quick answer to replace Bridgewater, the Philadelphia Eagles took advantage this weekend. Fleecing the Vikings in a deal in which the Eagles will now be receiving a first round pick for Sam Bradford in a deal that shocked everyone. Spielman overpaying in desperation as the Eagles have used their leverage to get a lucrative return out of the Vikings for a player that Minnesota will be using as a one-year rental.
Needing an upgrade over Shaun Hill to keep their hopes of contending alive, Spielman sent a 2017 first round pick along with a future fourth rounder to the Eagles for Bradford. A trade that is shocking considering Bradford’s mediocre career numbers as the Vikings will forego a first round pick to rent a quarterback who has never played in the playoffs.
Bradford’s career has been hampered by injuries, but when he has been fully healthy he has been below replacement level. Breaking 20 TD’s just once and failing to throw for over 4,000 yards in his five seasons. Numbers that don’t justify giving away a first round pick for a one-year rental.
In Bradford’s one season with the Eagles in Chip Kelly’s no-huddle offense, Bradford had his best season. One factor that Spielman and the Vikings do have going for them as Bradford was capable in 14 games as a starter in Philadelphia. Posting 3,725 passing yards and 19 touchdowns for the year as at times Bradford was successful in running Kelly’s high-octane offense.
However, the concern for Bradford is that his play has been uninspiring as a whole for his entire career. Bradford’s career completion percentage of 60.1% and his high turnover rate have both kept the former top pick from reaching his potential. Not being good enough to take the step into being a top quarterback has long been Bradford’s problem, despite getting countless opportunities to develop himself.
Now, the Vikings are taking a big risk to rent a player who will be searching for a new team or backing up Bridgewater in 12 months time. Mortgaging a potential top prospect in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft for a quarterback who has never been to the playoffs and who has failed to become a top quarterback after five seasons in the league. Along with sending a secondary draft pick in a move in which the Eagles are getting far more value than the Vikings will ever get out of Bradford. Even if the Vikings still make the playoffs
Even if the Vikings still make the playoffs in the NFC North with Bradford controlling the offense, it is hard to see them contending for a Super Bowl now without Bridgewater. Which makes risking a first round pick who could have contributed to the team in 2017 and beyond so puzzling as Spielman is taking a big risk for a move that has limited upside.
What would have made more sense for the Vikings is taking a smaller risk and refusing to ship out a first round pick for an average quarterback. A move that rarely gets made in the NFL these days where general managers value their first round picks so highly and tend to avoid making moves that involve giving up a future prospect for a quarterback with a 60% completion percentage over five seasons in the league.
Would the Vikings have been able to get Bradford for a second round pick? Maybe not, but Spielman should have either kept searching or bargained far harder than he did by giving away a top pick for a quarterback who arguably could have been third on the Eagles depth chart behind Carson Wentz and Chase Daniel. Any of the second tier options behind Bradford would have been better as with little chance of winning a Super Bowl with a Bridgewater replacement, the Vikings should have been more frugal with their draft picks. Even if it meant going to Plan B behind Bradford as none of the names available were close to worth a first round pick and the Vikings would have likely been able to find a cheaper quarterback if they looked around for better value.
After making a major deal to try to save their season in a panic move, the pressure is now on Bradford to deliver a playoff berth to the Vikings as a rental quarterback. With the Vikings still having expectations to win the NFC North, the story of the season in Minnesota will be if Bradford can carry the team far enough to warrant a first round pick for one season of play. If the Vikings can manage to go deep in January, the skeptics could be silenced even if this trade looks like the wrong one for the wrong value as Spielman has taken on a massive risk for a potential reward of making a Super Bowl run that has low odds of coming to fruition.
