Schefter: Eagles Not Expected To Tag Bradford, Interested In Foles

Is Howie Roseman in the process of undoing a major part of Chip Kelly‘s 2015 offseason overhaul?

According to Adam Schefter, the Eagles are not expected to place the franchise tag on Sam Bradford, though he notes that they still have some interest in re-signing him. Schefter also names Nick Foles as a “name to watch” for the Eagles, saying that new head coach Doug Pederson is interested.

From what we’re hearing, however, nothing has been decided regarding Bradford at this point. Meanwhile, the Foles talk is being labeled as speculation and a potential trade for him very unlikely because of salary cap/dead money issues. While we’ve confirmed that Pederson does like Foles, the numbers likely wouldn’t work even if the Eagles did want to bring him back (at least via trade).

Andy Reid and the Chiefs inquired about  trading for Foles back in 2013 when Reid changed addresses from Philly to Kansas City. The Eagles wanted to find out what they had in Foles and did not put him on the market. Turns out, Reid’s protege — who served as Foles’ quarterbacks coach in 2012 — has similar tastes in QBs.

A lot has transpired with Foles in the years since, however. He of course had the insane ’13 campaign in Kelly’s rookie year in which he threw 27 touchdowns to two interceptions  while completing 64 percent of his passes.

The next year, however, with the line deteriorating and the newness of Kelly’s offense wearing off, Foles’ performance went south. He threw 13 TDs to 10 interceptions before being knocked out midway through the season with a broken collarbone.

Kelly, having just claimed control of personnel, traded Foles and a second-round pick to St. Louis for Bradford last offseason. Neither quarterback shined with their new teams, but Foles completely flamed out. He completed 56.4 percent of his throws and threw seven TDs to 10 INTs with three fumbles. He was benched in mid-November in favor of Case Keenum.

Bradford had a 65 percent completion rate in his first season with the Eagles, tossing 19 touchdowns to 14 interceptions. He improved as the season went on as he grew more comfortable in the system and moved further away from ACL surgery. Over the last seven games, he threw 10 touchdowns to four picks with an average QB rating of 98.5.

Bradford is scheduled to become a free agent, though, and may very well demand a big pay day when you consider the lack of quality quarterback options and the growing salary cap that will only increase the large pool of money for players this offseason.

We made a case for placing the franchise tag on Bradford last week, a move that would likely cost the Eagles $19-20 million in ’16. It would allow them the opportunity to put their best foot forward this year while leaving flexibility long-term should they land their quarterback of the future in the upcoming draft.

Bradford, we’re told, isn’t dying to come back to Philadelphia, which might be part of the equation here. But there are worse fates than banking $20 million in a familiar setting for a season, and Bradford is a professional. It’s hard to picture him not investing himself in a season just because he’s not in his ideal setting.

Foles has two years remaining on his deal. He is due to make a base salary of $1.75 million this season with a roster bonus of $6 million, per Spotrac, and has a dead money hit of $8 million.