The Eagles took a chance, trading for a quarterback coming off a pair of torn ACLs who might otherwise not have been available.
He’s taking a chance as well.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Bradford isn’t interested in a contract extension now, willing to play out his contract in hopes of a big year for the Eagles.
That would result in a big contract in 2016, but it comes with a sizable risk as well. If Bradford fails to either stay healthy and/or shine in Chip Kelly’s system, the market for him in free agency next spring won’t be nearly so robust.
Of course, there’s another factor at play here. We’re not sure whether or what kind of extension the Eagles may have offered. If they didn’t promise anything for the years beyond 2015 when trading for him, it makes Bradford’s gesture less noble and daring, refusing to accept that which was not offered.
When he’s well, he’s been good enough he should thrive in Kelly’s system. But he’s rarely been well, playing in 49 of 80 games since entering the league as the top pick in the 2010 draft, getting the last of the golden goose contracts before the rookie scale was implemented.
That may be what makes him willing to bet on himself, since he started with a a bigger stack of chips than the quarterbacks who came after him.
