Eagles re-sign Sam Bradford for 2 years, $36 million

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and new coach Doug Pederson are reportedly both believers in Bradford.

By Adam Stites Updated Mar 1, 2016, 8:32pm EST

UPDATE: Eagles give Sam Bradford a two-year, $36 million contract.

Chip Kelly made a choice that raised eyebrows when he pinned his hopes on the back of Sam Bradford with a trade during the 2015 offseason. But apparently new Eagles coach Doug Pederson is infatuated with Bradford, too.

According to Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo, Philadelphia has upped its offer to keep Bradford long-term. The Eagles supposedly believe it's a strong offer that will keep Bradford in Philly for years to come.

"Sam is part of the Eagles organization and what he’s done in the last half of last year I think has given him that opportunity to stay in Philadelphia. And listen, being in his shoes, being a player in his shoes, you have to want to be somewhere. And I think Sam wants to be in Philadelphia," Pederson said earlier this week.

Bradford, a former No. 1 overall draft pick of the St. Louis Rams, was coming off a 2014 year in which he didn't play a single game due to an ACL tear in preseason, and he also missed nine games the season before that. But Kelly traded away Nick Foles and a 2016 second-round pick to the Rams in exchange for Bradford, along with a swap of third-day picks in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Hindsight tells us Kelly probably should've rethought his decision because the 2015 offseason ultimately got him fired. But Bradford wasn't particularly terrible for the Eagles. He completed 65 percent of his passes with 3,725 passing yards and 19 touchdowns, but 14 interceptions kept an offense based on efficiency from being as successful as it was in previous seasons.

Still, trading Foles and a second-round pick for Bradford represented an investment made by the franchise. If the 28-year-old quarterback reached free agency then he would be the class of an uninspiring crop of available quarterbacks, which means he has some leverage to work with.

With free agency approaching and no contract in place for Bradford, rumors have swirled about a possible return to the Eagles, as have rumors about new potential landing spots for the former top draft pick.