Sam Bradford's New Contract Sad Reality of Life in QB-Starved NFL

It's a contract that will make Sam Bradford (and his agent) very happy. And a contract that will probably send many Philadelphia Eagles fans scrambling for the liquor cabinet.

But in signing Bradford to a two-year extension on Tuesday, the Eagles simply acquiesced to the realities of the modern NFL.

You aren't going to win anything in this league without a quarterback.

Bradford may not be a great quarterback—or even an especially good one. But he's at least capable.

And if the Eagles weren't willing to open their checkbook, you can bet the rent that come next week when free agency opened, other teams would have lined up around the block willing to do so.

As ESPN's Adam Schefter reported (via SportsCenter), while the deadline for franchise-tagging Bradford came and went, there was a reason for the crickets in Philadelphia:

Actually, there were $36 million reasons over the next two years.

Yes, the Eagles just gave Sam Bradford an $18 million average annual salary.

As ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert reported, it's just the latest windfall in a career filled with them for the first overall pick of the 2010 NFL draft:

Colleague Mark Schlereth, on the other hand, isn't seeing it:

I would include some fan reaction, but we're talking about Philadelphia. Can't print that sort of thing here. This about sums up the response, even among fans who are trying hard to see the glass as half-full:

It's not hard to see where the criticisms come from. Bradford has been paid like a superstar from the moment he entered the NFL (thanks, old collective bargaining agreement), but he hasn't sniffed playing like one.

There have been multiple injuries, including a pair of ACL tears. When he's been on the field, Bradford has been at best inconsistent and at worst awful.

Years	G	Comp. %	Yards/G	TD	INT	Rating	W-L
5	63	60.1	234.8	78	52	81.0	25-37-1

Last year was a perfect microcosm of Bradford's NFL career. He missed two games and turned the ball over 17 times. Three times before the Eagles' Week 8 bye, his passer rating was below 70.

Of course, from the team's bye week on, Bradford threw 10 touchdown passes against only four interceptions and posted a passer rating over 90 six times.

Of course, the only number that fans of the team cared about was seven—the number of games Bradford won under center in Philly last year. They look at that, then Bradford's salary and then head for the tequila.

Put the bottle down, Philly fans. Yes, no one is going to confuse Bradford and Aaron Rodgers anytime soon. But the reality (there's that word again) is, given the current climate at the most important position in the NFL, it isn't an awful deal...by any stretch.

Was Bradford great in 2015? No. But he wasn't horrible either. The 28-year-old did throw more touchdown passes than interceptions. His passer rating for the season (86.4) was the second-highest of the five years in which Bradford has actually played. He had the 12-highest Pro Football Focus score among quarterbacks.

By weight of comparison, the 12th-ranked quarterback in terms of average annual salary, per Spotrac, is San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick, who makes an average of $19 million per season.

Or I should say would make if the 49ers don't cut him after his disastrous 2015 campaign.

Bradford's new deal doesn't just come in south of Cutpernick. It's also less per season (on average) than that of Ryan Tannehill of the Miami Dolphins. And Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears. And Kirk Cousins of the Washington Redskins, who was franchise-tagged at almost $20 million for 2016 on Tuesday, as the team announced. 

Player	Starts	Comp. %	Yards/G	TD/INT Ratio	Rating
Bradford	63	60.1	234.8	+26	81.0
Tannehill	64	61.9	241.6	+33	85.2
Cutler	134	62.0	234.4	+63	86.0
Cousins	25	65.2	239.9	+17	91.3

Are you really prepared to say that any of those quarterbacks are that much better than Bradford? The numbers certainly don't bear it out.

And really, what choice did the Eagles have? With the 13th pick, they have no shot at Carson Wentz or Jared Goff. The chances that Brock Osweiler sniffs the open market are about the same that Mark Sanchez would suddenly become a viable NFL starter.

Let's put it this way: Not too long ago, Chase Daniel was being floated by some—including ESPN's Bill Barnwell—as a possible successor to Bradford in Philly. The same Chase Daniel who has two career starts in six NFL seasons.

Head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Howie Roseman came to their senses. They did the math. There are 32 NFL teams. There are not, however, 32 viable starting quarterbacks, as fans in places such as Houston, Cleveland and Los Angeles will gladly tell you.

No, Sam Bradford may not be a great starter. But he is, at least, one of those starting quarterbacks.

And in the face of that math, $18 million doesn't seem so bad.

Gary Davenport is an NFL analyst at Bleacher Report, a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter @IDPSharks.