Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is stuck between a rock of statistics and a hard place to revive if he makes the wrong decision.
Lurie's decision to fire former coach Chip Kelly with one game left to go in the 2015 season was based on his belief that his team, as assembled, was capable of winning more than the six games that it did under Kelly, according to Philly.com. So whether to re-sign Sam Bradford has become Philadelphia's primary offseason issue.
Only Greed May Prevent Sam Bradford From Re-Signing With Eagles
"Lurie had framed Kelly's firing not as a necessary housecleaning move for the Eagles to start a fresh rebuilding project but as the key to unlocking the full potential of a team that should have won more than seven games in 2015," Philly.com reported.
"I don't see any players on the roster that one would say are only a fit for a Chip Kelly team, not at all," Lurie said. "So we have to increase the talent level and increase the performance level of those we have."
Sam Bradford Not Worth $25 Million Per Year, But He Could Be Close
The Eagles players took notice of Bradford's work ethic and improvement over the course of 2015. By season's end, he gained his teammates' trust that he was the right quarterback moving forward.
"Obviously, he's a free agent this year, and we lost a really good free agent last year in Jeremy Maclin," center Jason Kelce said when Kelly was fired, and weeks before the team hired Kansas City offensive coordinator Doug Pederson. "We'll see what happens this year, but if we can retain Sam Bradford, that is the most important position on the field -- on offense, defense, special teams, anything. If we can retain a guy like that, that would be huge for our ball club, regardless of who the head coach is."
Whatever improvement Bradford made, however, was not enough to label his 2015 season a success, according to Fox Sports.
"If the Eagles don't feel comfortable signing Bradford to a long-term deal, they can keep him under contract with the franchise tag," Fox Sports reported. "However, after leading the Eagles to a 7-7 record in his first season as the team's starter (backup Mark Sanchez went 0-2 as a fill-in starter), Bradford might not be worth a top-rate paycheck -- even if it's just for one year."
In the categories of passer rating, average yards per pass attempt, touchdown percentage per pass attempt and interception percentage per pass attempt, Bradford ranked 25th or lower among qualifying NFL quarterbacks.
As a team, the Eagles ranked 31st among 32 teams in quarterback rating in the red zone, according to sportingcharts.com.
Leaving Philadelphia in a bit of a dilemma.
"Two weeks to go until the Eagles have to show everyone what they really think of Sam Bradford, until Jeffrey Lurie has to show if he really was listening to the men in that locker room, and the clock starts now," Philly.com reported.
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