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In what NFL.com's Conor Orr characterized as "a stunning move that thrusts the Vikings right back into the NFC North arms race," Minnesota executed a blockbuster trade for Eagles quarterback and former No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford on Saturday, the Eagles announced. The fantasy football implications on both sides are obvious.
As Profootballtalk.com outlined it, Bradford wanted out after the Eagles traded up to get the No. 2 pick in the draft, which became quarterback Carson Wentz. After a short absence from the offseason program, Bradford reversed course and embraced his circumstances.
Presumably, the Vikings wouldn’t be trading for Bradford and his significant salary if he didn’t embrace his suddenly changed circumstances. Although he could be a one-year option in Minnesota once Teddy Bridgewater’s dislocated knee heals, Bradford is guaranteed to get a full year in Minnesota. In Philly, Bradford could have been benched for Wentz at any time — and it likely would have happened if the team had fallen out of contention.
The deal also brings up questions about the Vikings' confidence in Bridgewater's ability to fully recover from what was a very serious injury.
For the record, the Vikings gave up a first-round pick in 2017 and a fourth-round pick in 2018 -- a massive price to pay if Bradford is only there for one season of work.
PFT's Mike Florio, citing a source with knowledge of the situation, reports that Bradford is “thrilled” by the move. And the Vikings surely wouldn’t have given up so much if Bradford hadn’t bought in. Regardless, he’s buying in.
And for good reason. Although the Eagles were setting the bar low for Carson Wentz, it seemed inevitable that he’d play this year, at some point. This gives Bradford a full year and maybe more, playing with a contender.
Indeed, with Bradford out of the picture, Wentz suddenly goes from being a No. 3 quarterback who was looking at being inactive on game days to a potential starter early in his career.
According to ESPN.com's Tim McManus, just how quickly that happens depends on a couple of factors. One is Wentz's health. He has been recovering from a hairline rib fracture suffered in the preseason opener against the Bucs. He missed the rest of the preseason. Doug Pederson told reporters early last week that one of the ribs was only 60 percent healed.
Even if the rib is fully healed heading into preparations for the Cleveland Browns this week, the question is whether Wentz is ready for game action. The North Dakota State product is making a big leap from the FCS to the NFL, and because of the injury threw all of 24 passes this preseason.
A possible stop-gap option is Chase Daniel. The Eagles signed the former Kansas City Chief to a deal worth $7 million annually this offseason in part because of his familiarity in Pederson's scheme. While he only has 77 career attempts in the NFL, he has been in the league for six-plus years and knows the system well.
Daniel had his share of struggles in the preseason, including a two-interception performance against the Jets Thursday night.
Chances are, if Daniel gets the starting nod, it will be on a part-time basis.
In Minnesota, Bradford will play for his sixth offensive coordinator -- Norv Turner -- in seven seasons. Vikings tight ends coach Pat Shurmur was Bradford's offensive coordinator with the Eagles last season and for two seasons (2009-10) with the Rams.
Bradford, the first-overall selection in the 2010 draft out of Oklahoma, has thrown for 14,790 yards, 78 touchdowns, and 52 interceptions in his 63 career games -- all of which are starts. He will be reunited with former Sooners teammate Adrian Peterson, who was told of the trade before Saturday's Oklahoma-Houston game.
"I'm pumped," Peterson told ESPN.com's Jake Trotter.
The Vikings have four quarterbacks on their roster, but undrafted rookie Joel Stave suffered an injury during the team's fourth preseason game and Brad Sorensen has been told he will be waived before Saturday's roster deadline for teams to reach 53 players, a league source told ESPN.com's Ben Goessling.
Journeyman quarterback Shaun Hill had taken over as the starter after Bridgewater was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. The Vikings also have second-year signal-caller Taylor Heinicke on the roster; he is coming back from a pre-training camp injury, which landed him on the active/non-football injury list.
Heinicke's injured left foot should be fully recovered in three weeks. The team was expecting Heinicke to challenge Hill for the No. 2 job in training camp had he not suffered his injury.
it's not clear if Bradford will be ready to roll as their Week 1 starter. Don't be surprised, however, if that's the case. It seems like a reach to believe he can get up to speed in a week. If he doesn't start, Hill will fill in until Bradford is ready.