The Minnesota Vikings reportedly have plans to bring back the quarterback they traded away a first round pick to acquire back in September.
For a team that was desperate just days before their first game of the 2016 regular season, the Minnesota Vikings trade for Sam Bradford has worked out pretty well given the circumstances the team was presented with. Perhaps he was not exactly worth the first round draft pick the Vikings traded away to get the quarterback into Minnesota, but we’ll leave that topic for another day.
But apparently the quarterback’s performance this season has done enough to convince the Vikings to keep him on the roster for another year according to USA TODAY’s Tom Peliserro.
Big bonuses due in March for two key #Vikings players. No big surprise: they plan to pay Sam Bradford's. https://t.co/64f9pDRBqt
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 18, 2016
Peliserro cited, “people with knowledge of the team’s thinking,” as the source for the information.
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This report should clear up any speculation that Minnesota may try and move Bradford elsewhere before his $4 million roster bonus is due in March. The Vikings are expected to pay that and as of right now, the quarterback is scheduled to make $18 million in 2017 under the terms of his current contract.
But since Bradford does has a history of being injury prone and has never lead a team to the playoffs, perhaps Minnesota can convince the 29-year-old quarterback to re-negotiate his contract to something that is more team friendly?
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Either way, bringing Bradford back is essentially a move that the Vikings needed to make. With there still plenty of uncertainty surrounding the status of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for the 2017 season, Minnesota keeping Bradford prevents the team’s confidence from bursting into flames.