In one of several deals orchestrated by GM Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday, the team signed former Chiefs backup quarterback Chase Daniel, a player who new coach Doug Pederson worked with in Kansas City and has praised on multiple occasions.
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One of the first things that jumps out when seeing this news is not just the potential value of the three-year deal -- up to $36 million including incentives, with $12 million guaranteed -- but also it's length. After all, it's a year longer than the contract signed by presumptive starter Sam Bradford a week earlier.
And, apparently, the $22 million the Eagles guaranteed to the former No. 1 pick doesn't come with a guarantee that he'll be the team's starting quarterback.
Furthermore, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com reported that Daniel will compete with Bradford for the starting job, assuming the former No. 1 overall pick is still around when training camp begins.
Although Bradford’s contract could easily be traded in the short term, since the first signing-bonus installment isn’t due until March 18, a league source tells PFT that the current plan is for Bradford and Daniel to compete for the job. [profootballtalk.com]
But what if we're looking at it wrong? What if Sam Bradford isn't part of the plan at all?
For starters, Florio reported earlier on Wednesday – and alluded to in the story referenced above – that Bradford's deal is structured in a way that would make it very easy for the team to trade him. And with team's like the Broncos, Browns, Jets and others still looking for a passer, perhaps trading Bradford and drafting a QB is actually Roseman's master plan, one that suddenly seems more realistic after the deals to acquire Daniel and move from No. 13 to No. 8 in April's draft.
Daniel, then, would essential fill the same role Pederson did when he entered the 1999 season as the Eagles starter before eventually being replaced by a rookie named Donovan McNabb. And just like they do now, the Eagles had a first-time head coach at the helm -- Andy Reid.
Perhaps this is the final piece to a puzzle that owner Jeffrey Lurie believes can recreate his franchise's greatest period of success – the one that began with Reid and McNabb and led to five NFC Championship games in less than a decade.
Even if that's not the plan, there's apparently no guarantee that Bradford will be the starter.
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