The Eagles have asked All-Pro cornerback James Bradberry to give them a chance to match any offer he gets in free agency, according to a tweet by CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson.
He also indicated that he expects to get a formal contract offer from the Eagles once his value is determined by other offers.
Bradberry is among 10 starters from the Eagles’ Super Bowl team who are about to become unrestricted free agents.
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Coming off a career year – opposing quarterbacks had a 51.6 passer rating against him, second-lowest in the NFL – Bradberry is among the top free agents expected to hit the market this week. Spotrac projects him getting a three-year deal worth $15 million per year after he played on a bargain one-year deal worth $7.25 million this year.
The Eagles, with the Jalen Hurts contract looming, have limited cap space to sign top free agents, but Bradberry’s remarks to Anderson should be encouraging because he not only said the Eagles are in the mix to re-sign him, he spoke about how much he loved playing here last year.
“I know there’s definitely interest from the Eagles,” Bradberry said, according to Anderson’s tweet. “I would love to play for the Eagles. I definitely see how bright the future is for the team. I’m just waiting to hear on the exact terms from them.
“I believe they’re also waiting for what the market tells us as well, because I’m also anticipating interest from other teams, too. So they told me whoever calls, just make sure I also give them a chance to match.”
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Bradberry said a few days after the Super Bowl the two determining factors where he would sign were the chance to return to the postseason and of course money.
“I think it will be a combination of winning and money,” he said on locker cleanout day. “Those two things are the most important to me – being on a good roster, having the ability to get to the playoffs and make a run in the playoffs. But also I don’t want to play for cheap, you know?”
Bradbery’s situation could be affected by close friend and secondary colleague Darius Slay, whose own contract situation is another issue facing the Eagles right now.
Bradberry, who turns 30 in August, had three interceptions during the regular season and a fourth off Daniel Jones in the conference semifinal round win over the Giants. That was the Eagles’ only postseason interception this past year.
Free agency officially begins at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, but the so-called legal tampering period begins at noon Monday. That’s when teams are able to negotiate with agents representing free agents. Although they technically aren’t allowed to sign contracts, they can agree to contract terms, so the 4 p.m. Wednesday date is really just a formality.
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