Why Bradford hasn't agreed to "home town" discount yet?

[jsimcox]

one team that.....
- Sees a former #1 overall pick that, at the time he came out, many thought was a once every 10 yr type talent.
- Sees a #1 former overall pick that's played on a team with VERY questionable surrounding talent
- Sees a former #1 overall pick that was OROY despite the above
- Sees a former #1 overall pick that played on a team with one of the worst 5 yr records in NFL history.
- Sees a QB market this offseason that is VERY shallow on quality talent
- Is a team that knows they won't have a shot at either Winston or Mariotta.

I agree, and the above pretty much describes the Rams current situation...
I would be very surprised in Sam isn't back with the Rams next year on a lower average yearly salary.

 

[CGI_Ram]

After that interception riddled NFC title game... And Super Bowl losing INT... He just MIGHT pass along a discount to take some heat off.

 

[jrry32]

And the risk involved in signing Bradford to a long term deal is much greater than any of the three guys you mentioned. Name another FA QB or even FA player in 2015 who is a riskier signing than Bradford.

People are looking at this as though Sam has been winning games, putting up decent numbers and has missed only 3 career games with a sore throat. (hyperbole but you get my point). Teams will be scared of Bradford.

That's why they won't. They'll offer him a prove it deal that's low on guaranteed money. Like something in the range of 2 years $16 to $20 million with a lot of incentives.

But when your options are poor and average starting QBs are going for $16 to $18 million a year, there will be teams willing to risk roughly half of that with little guaranteed money on Bradford.

 

[psxpaul]

Because the only real reason an athlete takes less money, is to go to a team that's good. Brady takes a modest salary because the Patriots are always good. Deion Sanders supposedly took less money to play for the Cowboys and 49ers in the 90s. Stephen Jackson went to the Falcons because they were supposed to be a contender. And now Russell Wilson will stay in Seattle, because their defense just took them to back to back super bowls.

Bradford's got none of that with the Rams.

 

[Yamahopper]

This time next year.

Bradford's agent : Hi Kevin, remember last year when you threatened to cut Sam, tried to force him to take a pay cut so you could sign the next Cortland Finnigan?
Sam played 16 games and helped the Rams to make the playoffs for the first time in modern history.
And since you still have no other QB options and are drafting to high to get one and the same old list of never was's in free agency.
So here's the plan,franchise him at 20mil and then we'll talk next year.

The're no discounts in football.
Feeling good about having Davis and whatever Fa reject they can get then go for it.

Like the Chiefs found out negotiating with Alex Smith, these high picks from the old CBA are set for life. They can be as independent as they wish.

 

[HE WITH HORNS]

Because talk is cheap. Wilson hasn't taken a hometown discount yet. Maybe we can talk when the guy doesn't take a $22 to $23 million dollar per year contract...but I think odds are when it comes time to put the pen to paper, the hometown "discount" won't be much of one.

True. He will take less money than if he was a FA and had 10 teams offering the "best QB ever" a contract, but it's still gonna be 2o million a year on average. Bank on that.

 

[Mojo Ram]

I guess i'm just not on the same page as the majority in here. That's cool. We'll see soon enough.

IMO the Rams end up keeping Bradford on an extremely Rams-friendly deal....for a couple reasons.
1) Bradford's best place to try to continue and ultimately resurrect his career is in St Louis despite the money.
2) His value outside of St Louis will be met with very lukewarm results.

 

[Jorgeh0605]

I guess i'm just not on the same page as the majority in here. That's cool. We'll see soon enough.

IMO the Rams end up keeping Bradford on an extremely Rams-friendly deal....for a couple reasons.
1) Bradford's best place to try to continue and ultimately resurrect his career is in St Louis despite the money.
2) His value outside of St Louis will be met with very lukewarm results.

Can you elaborate on why you think Bradford's best place to resurrect his career is here? Many players successfully resurrect their careers after leaving a particular team.? In your opinion why is St.Louis his best bet?


As for point two, this seems to be the most controversial point regarding Bradford. I disagree with you, but none of us will know unless he is cut.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Can you elaborate on why you think Bradford's best place to resurrect his career is here? Many players successfully resurrect their careers after leaving a particular team.? In your opinion why is St.Louis his best bet?


As for point two, this seems to be the most controversial point regarding Bradford. I disagree with you, but none of us will know unless he is cut.

Coaching staff, the offense, the QB competition, WR's, RB's, TE's, the fans, the trainers, physical therapists and doctors.

 

[drasconis]

Coaching staff, the offense, the QB competition, WR's, RB's, TE's, the fans, the trainers, physical therapists and doctors.

Seee, I tend to think the Rams are the best bet for him since he really needs to havea good year this year - a statement "I am back and good" year. He is still going to be rahabing close to preseason. He knows the system here, he knows the players here, he should be most comfortable here...anywhere else and while he can study the playbook, it is unlikely he can do much of any offseason work with teammates and may be limited even in preseason. He willl be going in cold elsewhere - a tough situation. Add in the fact that most (not all) teams that would be looking at him are bottom teir teams and here likely is the best place for him.

 

[LesBaker]

Can you elaborate on why you think Bradford's best place to resurrect his career is here? Many players successfully resurrect their careers after leaving a particular team.? In your opinion why is St.Louis his best bet?


As for point two, this seems to be the most controversial point regarding Bradford. I disagree with you, but none of us will know unless he is cut.

Because in STL he knows the system well, and that's an edge when it comes to competing for the starting spot. He's well liked by the players and coaches.

They are more likely to take a chance on his that another team that may not want to take the risk on him because of ability/injury. A team in need of a QB is going going to take so much of a risk on a player with his history. They will be more likely to take a flyer on a guy who is mostly unknown.

 

[Yamahopper]

At some level I want Bradford to stick it in and break it off in the Rams.
A small part of that is for the little guys in the NFL that gets a call from the GM on Saturday before a game and gets told take a pay cut or were releasing you.

But the main reason is the lack of foresight and utter ineptness of this FO to let it get to this point. Not even counting the injury history, Bradford was a very high paid QB who if played at a top 12 QB level was going to get a even bigger second contract or have to be franchised for lack of another option.

Then even before the 1st ACL he had health issues and a realistic option should have been found. Like the QB position was just a after thought. Then after the 1st ACL it gets sadly comical. All they do is draft a late round nobody even though they passed on much better prospects.

Then the RGIII trade is icing on the cake, it elevates it from epic level of bad player management to Sin level of fail. All those extra picks and they couldn't finagle them up down somehow to draft a legit QB? It didn't have to be top of the 1st kinda guy, a Bridgewater, Carr, Grapolo kind of guy would have secured this teams future at a cost controlled level. They had multiple drafts to get it done. But yet the ghost of Gilbert is all we have to show for that in the QB dept. And this year not even a QB insight other than Bradford that has a real shot of taking the Rams to the playoffs.
All we got to show for it is losing a real shot of making the playoffs the last 2 years.

Again injury's or not the sheer cap hit of Bradford would have fueled this debate this year or next.

So lets cut him and hop on the Austin Davis or ilk bandwagon and finish 4-12ish and sign another Jake Long with the cap savings.

I'm not a big Bradford fan, he never wowed me.

But looking at this. It seems like Shaw and Zygment are still calling the shots.

 

[LACHAMP46]

I'm really tired of hearing that "Sam has leverage because it's a weak FA QB market and a bad draft class".

It's just not true!

My opinion is that he won't be let back into team facilities unless he takes a pay cut. Think about it, he's an injury liability and if anything goes wrong during off season conditioning, and he gets injured again, his contract becomes guaranteed and we're on the hook for $13M regardless of whether he ever starts another game.

Unless Tom Condon can wipe the memories of every team in the league, he will be negotiating from a position of trying to sell a damaged and tarnished product. Selling Bradford as a hot commodity to the other 31 teams would be quite a feat.

You'd have to prove that to me....He's still in the position of strength....

To me, he's nowhere near as risky as trading up to get the crab burglar or the skinny duck.

Well, I think if it's the crab burglar or Sam, many would take the burglar as long as he's learned his lesson. The dude is a pocket passer....

What nobody has addressed, or knows, is how much money are we talking about? Is it $13M or nothing? $13M or $5M?

From a great writer & friend I call dubs...
http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2015/2/10/7956529/2015-nfl-salary-cap-free-agency-sam-bradford

 

[Speeps]

Sam has leverage...simple as that...weak QB market, supply v. demand, and the fact that this team needs him.....why should he re-structure? Where is his motivation?

Indeed. And if the Rams try to cut him to let him test free agency and establish a market, they would run the risk of seriously losing him, because someone will overpay. As you pointed out, it's a weak QB market. Rams are in an interesting position.

 

[cgsuddeath]

And in other news,the Rams promoted Cignetti and Bora and are interviewing for the new QB coach.Too much about Bradford and I am getting so sick of it.

 

[dieterbrock]

sams leverage lies in whether the Rams want him back and what they are willing to pay him.
It's not supply and demand.
If sam refuses to restructure because the terms aren't to his liking, that doesn't increase his leverage, it reduces it
He is under contract for 2015 and neither he nor the Rams "have" to do anything
However, his contract is not guaranteed and after free agency, the draft and pre season are over and rosters are set, the Rams could cut bradford then.
For some reason it seems that some posters believe that the Rams would cut bradford in the near future and I don't see any reason why that would happen

 

[LesBaker]

From a great writer & friend I call dubs...
http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2015/2/10/7956529/2015-nfl-salary-cap-free-agency-sam-bradford

Wait, what? He's Canadian.........and you trust him?

 

[Yamahopper]

Indeed. And if the Rams try to cut him to let him test free agency and establish a market, they would run the risk of seriously losing him, because someone will overpay. As you pointed out, it's a weak QB market. Rams are in an interesting position.

Good point. But maybe since he's already been paid playing for a team that has the acumen to put at least a average O line in front of him so he can skip a year of rehab might be alluring enough.

 

[Ramhusker]

I think it all hinges on Bradford's rehab progress this spring. How steady is the knee come draft day? training camp? preseason? He may well take a small pay cut in lieu of some incentives just for the "hometown" factor. It's the leap of faith leaders take sometimes to build solidarity in the locker room and for the fan base. It could say, " here's a couple extra mil for the team to shore up the OL to protect my ass so we can WIN!"