Cardinals waive Sam Bradford, costing the Vikings a draft pick

It appears that the Minnesota Vikings made the right choice in not retaining Sam Bradford last spring.

Last March, the Minnesota Vikings were facing an important decision on who should be the quarterback for a team that had reached the 2017 NFC Championship game.

Their three in-house options at the time were Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater, and Sam Bradford, all of which had showed promise in a purple uniform, but all had their warts as well.

In the end, the Vikings decided to take the free-agent route and bring in Kirk Cousins — a decision that is (for whatever reason) hotly debated among fans. However, the signs are falling into place that Minnesota made the right decision.

Minnesota Vikings

The latest chapter in the former Vikings quarterback saga unfolded on Saturday as the Arizona Cardinals waived Bradford after just nine weeks in the desert.

The Cardinals signed Bradford to a one-year, $20 million contract with $15 million guaranteed last March. But the top pick of the 2010 draft rewarded Arizona by going 0-3 as a starter this season with just 400 yards passing, two touchdowns, and four interceptions.

That, combined with the Cardinals drafting UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen with the 10th pick in last April’s NFL Draft, put the writing on the wall for Bradford’s time in Arizona.

While some may celebrate the Vikings not handing a long-term deal to Bradford, the news isn’t all rosy for Minnesota. Due to the quarterback being waived, Minnesota now loses out on a third-round compensatory pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and the Cardinals will gain a projected sixth-rounder.

Even with the lost pick though, Vikings fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their team didn’t sign Bradford to a long-term deal last spring.