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Bradford had a fine rookie season in 2010 after the Rams made him the first overall pick in the 2010 draft and signed him to a $78 million contract. That was the last big rookie contract before the NFL enacted a rookie salary cap, and it hung around the Rams' necks like a millstone. Though he did nearly lead the Rams to the playoffs his first season, Bradford missed about half the next season with a (corrected) ankle injury that took a year to heal and never ascended to the top tier of NFL QBs. His career passer rating's no better than Ryan Fitzpatrick's.
Nearly five years after he was drafted, the NFL still doesn't know what it has in Sam Bradford. He was never surrounded with the best protection or receiving weapons. But he also pales in comparison to his contemporary first overall picks. Andrew Luck doesn't have jack around him, either, and was just a game short of the Super Bowl this year. Cam Newton hasn't exactly been throwing to the Greatest Show in Carolina. But he's got two Pro Bowls and has gotten the Panthers to the playoffs twice in four years. The main comparison to Bradford has been the fellow drafted #1 the year before, Matthew Stafford, and Sam loses that pretty decisively. Sure, Stafford's got Calvin Johnson, but he's also got a far better gun than Bradford's overestimated arm, and he's been to the playoffs twice now himself. And don't get me started with younger QBs than Bradford, nowhere near as high-drafted or expensive - Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick, Andy Dalton, etc. - who have already taken their teams to far greater heights than 7-8-1.
Bradford has seemed short on a lot of qualities for a first pick overall and a mega-contract player. He does not seem like a take-charge player on the field. His deep ball and outside throwing are average at best. Rarely from Bradford do you see that breathtaking seeing-eye fastball so many good QBs have. I doubt he has one. Pass rush still really gets into his head. He gets way too many throws batted down at the line for a tall guy. He's a safety-first thrower who takes too many checkdowns, doesn't show the derring-do to make big plays down the field. He isn't a quarterback who elevates the play of his teammates. These are all qualities you should be able to expect from a #1 pick overall. They're all qualities Luck and Newton and Stafford have. I don't think St. Louis ever saw much of them from Bradford. Though they didn't miss out on an Aaron Rodgers like the 49ers did in 2005, more and more, it looks like what the Rams got for their troubles in Bradford was a slightly stronger-armed, much less durable version of Alex Smith.
Bradford should be comfortable in Chip Kelly's fast-break offense, though, which may well show he was misused here. That is, if he can last any amount of time into the season. Though he started 2013 on pace for career highs, the Rams still started 1-3 because the offensive load was too much for Bradford to carry, and he missed the last nine weeks of the season anyway due to a torn ACL, which he re-tore in the 2014 preseason to end that year before it even started.
That's the reason the Rams never knew what they had in Bradford. He missed 31 of 80 possible starts here. Actually, the Rams did know what they had in Bradford. An injury risk. That and his apparent unwillingness to re-negotiate to a cap-friendlier contract forced the Rams' hand and put Bradford on a flight to the NFC East.
I think it's altogether uncertain that the Rams even gained stability at QB in the trade. Foles followed his terrific 2013 season (27 TDs, 2 INTs) with a pretty ragged start in 2014 (13 TDs, 10 INTs) before getting knocked out of half the season himself due to a broken collarbone. One thing Foles does is win, though; he's 14-4 as a starter the past two seasons. While discrediting the Rams front office for their fly-by-night plan at QB, credit them for getting decent value in return while still being able to unload that contract. Now go and do something good with that $26 million in salary cap room, which basically doubles from where it was with Bradford's departure.
The Rams also gave the Eagles their 5th round pick this year, but got back Philly's 4th-round pick, and get a 2nd-round pick next year (which may or may not be conditional on Bradford starting in 2015. Reporting on the terms of this deal sure has been spotty). However, as Jim Thomas reports, if Bradford plays less than half the snaps, the Rams have to give the Eagles their 4th-round pick next year, and that becomes a 3rd-rounder if Bradford misses the whole 2015 season. Which you can't rule out.
The Bradford Era is over in St. Louis, but like Bradford's career to date, it's ending without a conclusion. If he can defy his odds and actually play a full season, Bradford may yet demonstrate he's worthy of the status of the first overall pick of a draft. St. Louis just couldn't afford to wait for him any longer.
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