5 recent NFL players who were both Vikings and Cardinals

Sam Bradford – QB

Sam Bradford has made more money in the NFL, without doing much on the field, than anyone else in the history of the league. During his injury-riddled career, his pockets were fattened by both the Cardinals and the Vikings.

He was the first overall pick for the then St. Louis Rams in 2010. He was plagued by injuries there and then he was eventually shipped to the Philadelphia Eagles.

After his first season with the Eagles, the team drafted Carson Wentz with the second overall pick of the 2016 draft. This made Bradford expendable and when Teddy Bridgewater‘s knee blew up in practice right before the 2016 season, Philadelphia got a phone call from the Vikings.

Bradford was sent to Minnesota for a first-round pick in the 2017 draft. He was thrust into starting action almost immediately and he actually played pretty well during the year.

In 2016, Bradford threw for nearly 4,000 yards, 20 touchdowns, and five interceptions. His quarterback rating was 99.5 and even though the Vikings finished 8-8, Bradford wasn’t the primary reason for their struggles.

He was all set to be the starting quarterback again in 2017. But after the first game of the season, where he was razor-sharp, Bradford hurt his knee and he missed a large portion of the year. A hot Case Keenum took over and Bradford’s time with Minnesota came to a close after the season.

The Cardinals ignored Bradford’s lengthy injury history and signed him to a one-year deal worth $20 million.  What they got out of that contract was three starts with 400 passing yards, two touchdowns, four interceptions, and a 62.5 quarterback rating.

Clearly, the Vikings remember Bradford a little more fondly than Arizona’s fans do. But at least they can both rejoice in the fact they got to watch Bradford play for their squad in those massive shoulder pads of his.