Rams will look to restructure Sam Bradford’s contract

By Luke Dahlgren | Feb 9, 2015

Aug 16, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (8) is hit by Green Bay Packers defensive end Julius Peppers (56) while attempting a pass during the first half at Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Former first-round draft pick Sam Bradford was among the last beneficiaries of a contract not governed by the rookie wage scale.

The St. Louis Rams are looking to restructure quarterback Sam Bradford’s contract heading into the 2015 season. This may appear to be ethically questionable, not only in terms of gaining an unfair competitive edge, but also the deeper ramifications of altering sentient life to beyond our own human capabilities.

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That being said, a titanium exoskeleton for Bradford would undoubtedly push the Rams over the top in the hyper-competitive NFC West.

Although the exoskeleton is entirely speculation on my part, Sam Bradford does remain the Thirteen Million Dollar Man, so the Rams are looking to reconstruct his contract.

From Jim Thomas at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

"The Rams want to restructure the final year of the injury-plagued Bradford’s contract. They could do so by lopping off some of the $12.985 million base salary he is due in 2015, the last year of his contract, while potentially putting in incentives that could allow Bradford to recoup much of that money.An outright release would save the team that $12.985 million out of an overall cap count of $16.58 million."

Bradford was drafted first overall by the Rams in 2010 after spending three years at Oklahoma, where he won the Heisman trophy in 2008. He was a part of the last NFL draft class without a rookie wage scale, and he was rewarded with a six-year, $78 million contract, $50 million of which was guaranteed.

Since joining the NFL, Bradford has been a marginal quarterback at best, more famous for being injured than for any of his exploits on the field. He spent the entire 2014 regular season on the sidelines after re-injuring his ACL against the Cleveland Browns in a preseason game. He also missed the second half of the 2013 season with an injury to the same ligament. As such, he has been out for 25 of the last 31 games the Rams have played.

When he does get on the field, Bradford has only managed a completion percentage of 58.6 and a quarterback rating of 79.3. Those numbers don’t look atrocious, but they do end up appearing poor when you factor in Bradford’s game managing style that relies on check-downs rather than attacking the entire field.

This limits turnovers and many wasted possessions, but even as Bradford plays conservatively and takes what the defense gives him, he is not able to properly execute to keep his team competitive on a weekly basis.

The Rams must know by now that Bradford is not the answer at quarterback, so restructuring the contract to provide some much needed cap room is imperative. He may be solid enough to keep the team above the league’s basement, and there doesn’t appear to be any obvious options for the Rams to turn to at quarterback in the immediate future.

That is unless the Rams can approve that titanium exoskeleton.

[H/T: St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

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