Last week, after Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a devastating knee injury, including a torn ACL, a dislocated knee and structural knee damage, many thought 36-year-old backup QB Shaun Hill would lead the Vikings under center. Rumors linking Minnesota to journeyman quarterback Mark Sanchez spread quickly, but were instantly shut down.
The Denver Broncos (Sanchez’s team at the time) wanted a first-round pick included in the exchange — a request far too steep for Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman to agree to. Instead of trading that first-rounder to Denver for a player that would soon be cut, though, the Vikings shipped it, alongside a 2018 fourth-rounder, to the Philadelphia Eagles for starting quarterback Sam Bradford.
Now, obviously enough, Bradford is more valuable than Mark Sanchez. After all, Sanchez was Bradford’s backup in Philadelphia. However, it is astonishing that another team even considered the former Sooner worthy of a first-round pick.
Immediately following Bridgewater’s injury, it seemed like Hill was set to be the Vikings’ new starting QB. Naturally, Minnesota began looking for an upgrade at the position. This makes sense, given the fact that they’re trying to defend a division title. With a healthy Bridgewater, they would most likely compete with Green Bay for the division title again. Without Bridgewater, they’re on the playoff bubble. With that said, there are a number of reasons why Minnesota should not have acquired Bradford.
Sam Bradford may be one hit away from an early retirement himself. If this happens, not only would the Vikings have squandered their first-rounder, but they’d be back to the journeyman Hill starting under center.
Secondly, there are other quarterbacks available. The Kansas City Chiefs recently cut former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray, who was available for a matter of days before being signed by the Arizona Cardinals. Former Alabama QB AJ McCarron led the Cincinnati Bengals to the playoffs last year after starter Andy Dalton went down with a thumb injury.
(Note: I have reason to believe the Bengals would be willing to trade McCarron – but for the high price of a first and fourth-round pick, maybe it would have at least been worth starting a conversation with Cincinnati.)
Finally, and most importantly, Bradford really isn’t much of an upgrade over Hill. Yes, Hill is on the wrong side of 35, isn’t particularly mobile and has only started 34 games in his 13-year career. But Hill has a career 85.2 QB Rating — higher than Bradford’s 81.0. Plus, the Vikings have a run-dominated offense led by future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson.
Essentially, the Vikings brought in Bradford to throw harder and more accurately, and to make fewer mistakes than Hill would. However, when we take a look at mistakes made in the past, we don’t find what we’d expect.
According to NFL.com, In the 46 games Shaun Hill has played in his career, he has fumbled the football 24 times. In Bradford’s 63 games played, he has fumbled 37 times. Here’s the most interesting feat of all: of Bradford’s 37 fumbles, his team lost possession on 14 occasions. When combined with his interception totals, Bradford averages over a turnover per game for his team over his career.
It is worth noting that he hasn’t always had a great team around him. The offenses he had in St. Louis were dismal, and during his one year in Philadelphia, his receiving corps dropped more passes than any other set of receivers in the league.
Bradford won the Heisman Trophy with Oklahoma in 2008, and was selected first overall by the St. Louis Rams in the 2010 NFL Draft. After being crowned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, his career took a sharp turn downhill. He tore his ACL seven weeks into the 2013 season, and would miss the remainder of that season. He re-injured it the during following preseason, and missed the entirety of the 2014 calendar year.
The Minnesota Vikings gave up a first-round pick in what is shaping up to be a loaded 2017 draft. In return, they got a chronically injured, mediocre quarterback who has never really proven himself at the professional level. Although career stats disagree, practically speaking, Bradford is a better quarterback option than Hill. But, he isn’t much better. And he is in no way worth a first- and a fourth-round draft pick.
Good article, well argued at thought out…although complete gibberish.