Don't mistake the lack of a long-term commitment to Sam Bradford as a sign he's still with the Eagles only to help groom his successor. Sure, that is one possible outcome. He agreed to a two-year deal and conceivably could be looking for work come next offseason.
But if the Eagles' intentions were purely to have Bradford serve as a placeholder, well, they could've accomplished that for a lot less money.
This deal reportedly is for $36 million, including $26 million guaranteed.
Generally speaking, NFL teams aren't in the habit of paying quarterbacks eight-figure salaries solely to keep the seat warm for a rookie. That's completely unnecessary. Mark Sanchez could've done that for half the cost of what the Eagles gave Bradford.
Clearly the Eagles see in Bradford the potential that made him the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2010, the potential he exhibited over the final seven games last season. It wasn't enough to make anybody comfortable with the idea of cementing Bradford as the signal-caller for the next three to five years, but the Eagles certainly found him worth another look.
No doubt the Eagles will add a young quarterback in the draft and prepare for the inevitable Bradford injury or his inability to fulfill that promise. With Bradford back in the fold, however, it's not necessarily their top priority.
There's a sense that Bradford's two-year deal actually increases the likelihood the Eagles take a quarterback with the 13th pick in April, namely Paxton Lynch out of Memphis. Yet while that scenario cannot be ruled out entirely, the opposite is probably true now.
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Bradford's presence, at his price point -- a $12.5 million cap hit in '16 -- suggests the Eagles are not willing to overdraft a quarterback out of need.
Why should they?
Yes, many observers have long since written off Bradford as a viable starting quarterback. To point out he never had much of a supporting cast or stability in the coaching staff while a member of the St. Louis Rams, or that he was playing meaningful football for the first time in nearly two years after suffering back-to-back torn ACLs without the benefit of a full offseason in a new system surrounded by new teammates who forgot how to catch or block is "making excuses" for Bradford.
Hey, writers and fans don't need to make excuses for Bradford anymore. The Eagles just did by giving him another shot, and should he against all odds succeed and earn a long-term commitment, how will the front office feel about having invested the 13th pick in a quarterback then, when there were so many other needs?
The Eagles aren't going to let Bradford hamstring their plans, either, and if Lynch is the pick at 13, so be it. This deal simply leans more toward Lynch not being their guy, at least not that high.
Make no mistake, if Bradford performs, he has a chance to stick far beyond two years. The Eagles are going to give themselves options, but there must be a feeling within the organization that they can win with this guy, otherwise there would've been no reason to bring him back.
As a $12.5 million placeholder? No. This is one final opportunity to find out once and for all whether Bradford can become a franchise quarterback.
The Eagles have eliminated any risk of pinning all their hopes on drafting a savior. In fact, they viewed the real risk here as Bradford walking away, their evaluation incomplete. This may well be his last stand, but Bradford's short-term extension could also prove the next step in finally putting an end to the Eagles' quarterback quandary.