The Eagles may have killed two quarterback situations with one stone.
Sam Bradford signed a two-year contract extension to stay in Philadelphia, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported. The deal is worth $36 million with $26 million guaranteed.
Trade Request Continues To Backfire In Colin Kaepernick's Face
Bradford's possible free agency left the possibility open for 49ers coach Chip Kelly, formerly of the Eagles, to swoop in and sign a quarterback he knows and trusts before cutting ties with Colin Kaepernick on or before April 1.
The disgruntled 49ers quarterback obviously would rather have a trade to guarantee his $11.9 million for 2016, but his intent seems to be to play elsewhere.
49ers Never Actually Committed To Keeping Colin Kaepernick
That likely won't happen now. Kelly may resurrect Kaepernick's career almost by accident.
Kelly made a splash when he entered the NFL from the University of Oregon, taking an Eagles team that went 4-12 the year before he arrived to 10-6 and an NFL East title in 2013.
For him to make the same impact in San Francisco, Kelly likely needed either Bradford, who is well-versed in his system, or Kaepernick, who knows the 49ers' skill players and whose talent is undeniable if used in the right way.
Gambling on another free-agent quarterback may have produced the same kind of season Kelly and Bradford experienced with the Eagles last season as it took Bradford a half-season to get comfortable with the coach's offensive scheme.
Blaine Gabbert is an alternative with the 49ers only if Kaepernick's struggles the last two years continue. Kaepernick at his peak led San Francisco to a Super Bowl appearance. Gabbert has yet to prove he can do the same.
And judging by Bradford's deal averaging $18 million per year, the 49ers are getting Kaepernick at a bargain price -- if Kelly can work his magic and reinvent his enigmatic signal-caller.
And yet, because of Kaepernick's $11.9 million owed to him, few teams have an interest in trading for him because of his struggles the last two seasons, CBS Sports reported.
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