Sam Bradford is staying in Philadelphia.
Bradford agreed to a two-year contract with the Eagles on Tuesday, passing up an opportunity to test free agency next week. The deal is worth up to $40 million, including incentives, with $26 million guaranteed, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because terms weren’t publicly disclosed.
Bradford joined the Eagles last season and compiled some career bests, but the team finished 7-9 and coach Chip Kelly was fired. New coach Doug Pederson praised Bradford’s skill set and the team’s front office decided to keep the injury-prone former No. 1 overall pick without committing to him long term.
The 28-year-old Bradford was acquired by the Eagles in a trade a year ago with the Rams that sent Philadelphia’s incumbent quarterback, Nick Foles, to St. Louis along with a 2016 second-round draft pick. Bradford started 14 games and threw for a career-high 3,725 yards, the fourth-highest yardage total in franchise history. Bradford’s 346 completions and his career-best 65.03 completion percentage both were single-season team records.
Bradford was the Offensive Rookie of the Year for the Rams in 2010, but knee injuries curtailed his progress. He missed seven games in 2013 after tearing his left ACL and sat out the 2014 season after tearing it again.
Bradford, who won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma in 2008, is 25-37-1 in five seasons and has never played for a winning team. The Eagles have re-signed or extended several contracts so far, and Bradford’s teammates have emphatically endorsed keeping him.
The Eagles also have backup Mark Sanchez under contract for 2016.
Bradford has thrown for 14,790 yards, 78 touchdowns and 52 interceptions. He’s completed 60.1 percent of his passes and has an 80.1 passer rating.
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