After two seasons, Sam Bradford is not exactly lighting up
the world. His accumulative QB rating is 74.2, he’s 8-18 as a starter, having
thrown 24 TDs and 21 INTs. After the Rams went 7-9 in Bradford’s rookie season,
they floundered to 1-9 in 2011 prior to the high ankle sprain that ended his
season. Bradford led his team on only one game winning drive in two seasons.
Jeff Fisher has publicly stated he is not interested in
trading Bradford, but the temptation to draft RG3 may be too great for Fisher
and the Rams to forego. Bradford won the Heisman Trophy as a redshirt sophomore
in 2008 and then missed most of the 2009 season after injuring and then
re-injuring his shoulder, which eventually required surgery. He decided after
his junior year to come out early.
Bradford has upside, he’s 6’4” and throws the ball well, but
he can’t seem to shake the injury bug. Why is this relevant to the Dolphins?
Because of Jeff Fisher’s history drafting mobile QBs and RG3 fitting his
profile perfectly. If the right offer were on the table, it is conceivable that
he could trade Bradford and draft RG3.
There is more to this hypothesis than meets the eye,
Bradford signed a six-year, $78 million contract with $50 million guaranteed.
Cam Newton signed a four-year contract worth $22 million and $14 million guaranteed.
The bottom line is, RG3 being the second pick could expect a similar contract
to Newton, and perhaps lower. This all adds up to some intriguing possibilities
for the Rams.
Saint Louis could select RG3 at number two in the draft,
make the same trade demands for Bradford and free up $7.5 million a year, for
the next four years in cap space. Once the scenario is digested, it suddenly makes
a lot of sense. The idea of trading for multiple 1st round picks,
freeing up significant cap space, and still ending up with a QB that better
fits Fisher’s historical mold is less than farfetched; it’s perfectly logical
and the right thing to do.
This is a win – win situation for both teams in the trade
scenario. Bradford is no further along in Fisher’s offense than RG3. Fisher
gets to start with a fresh QB, not encumbered by having learned a previous NFL
offense. With the cap space, Fisher and the Rams can delve much deeper in the
FA market than they could by keeping Bradford. Fisher can now put more of the
necessary pieces around RG3 to make him successful.
The question then is, do the Dolphins or any other team
looking for a QB consider Sam Bradford as the franchise? Bradford was the
number one selection in the 2010 NFL draft. All of the measurables are there,
he has a couple years experience in the NFL and he won a lot of games in
college. The overwhelming answer has to be, the Dolphins or any other team
desperate for a QB would make the same trade for Bradford as they would for
RG3.
From a purely physical stand point, Bradford is more of what
the Dolphins are looking for size wise than a 6’2 ¾” RG3 or a 6’2” Matt Flynn.
Given Peyton Manning’s age and injury concerns, Bradford could be the prize
Miami has sought since Dan Marino retired. At the price the Rams will be asking
for the rights to the 2nd pick in the draft, perhaps the wiser
option would be to offer that price for Sam Bradford.
Bradford is young, more polished than RG3 or Flynn and has a
better chance of being the illusive franchise QB the Dolphins have been
searching for. Absorbing Bradford's contract could be a bargaining chip for lowering the
trade value to two 1st round picks, period. Miami would then only
suffer two years without a number one pick and by the time Bradford began to gel, the team would be back in the first round of the draft.
The scenario could play out because the Rams would Draft RG3
at number 2, use the 8th pick on another need, have 2 first round picks next
season and have cap space to be a larger player in free agency. Miami would
have the Franchise QB they so desperately need without giving up as much in
draft picks.
Don’t laugh now, but when Roger Goodell doesn’t announce a
trade for the number 2 pick in the draft, it will be because Sam Bradford has been
traded, not RG3. The “Fire Jeff Ireland” banner will certainly be grounded in
Miami with Bradford in the fold. Perhaps Ireland is not that creative, but
if he reads Dolphinshout maybe we can get the juices flowing!
