Fisher wants Bradford back

[tahoe]

This is a no brainer, there wont be any other qb available that will be better than Bradford. People can hate him all they want but he will be back and lead the rams to the playoffs!

 

[jap]

Given the fact that the Rams have done such a piss-poor job of providing protection for Sam, some of the blame for his injuries may well rest with them. How can you draft a pocket passer and not pony up for a solid OL? Yes, I am well aware that some of Sam's injuries were in the freakish category. Nevertheless, he has taken an awful lot of pounding behind mediocre OL's, and the accumulated blows may very well have added wear & tear that helped led to those freakish injuries. By the same token, the Horns were early absolutely horrible at providing Sam with worthwhile receivers.

If you have a pocket passer, he requires an OL and solid receivers to be effective. If he is shortchanged on either or on both (as in the Ram' case), injuries tend to abound---either with quick sacks because the OL can't block or coverage sacks because the inept receivers can't get open.

So since the Rams failed to support their QB early on with an adequate OL and receivers, are they to now look to blame Sam for his injury troubles when they failed to do their job?

And do people honestly believe that there is not one! club who will take a chance on Sam if the Rams look to play hardball?

 

[Boffo97]

Unless other teams are willing to pay him more than we are...

I'm sure Snead will be able to get a good pulse of the rest of the league before dealing with Bradford's agent, but I'd be shocked if another team was willing to offer him money comparable to what he's contractually set to earn next year.

 

[kurtfaulk]

And especially, if the team wins out the rest of their games and finishes above .500 without him which is something that they haven't been able to do with him.

really? that's the route you're taking? after watching both backups miss so many easy td throws and make so many dumb decisions at crucial times in games that's what you're going with?

.

 

[MrMotes]

I'm sure Snead will be able to get a good pulse of the rest of the league before dealing with Bradford's agent, but I'd be shocked if another team was willing to offer him money comparable to what he's contractually set to earn next year.

Although i don't really have any idea how this will play out, i figure Snead knows exactly how it's going down. We'll just have to wait and see, or at least i will.

I don't think anyone is going to pay him 13 mil which means, i'm pretty sure, we're gonna have to cut him. And he might be worth substantially more to someone else than he is to us. Obviously, all speculation on my part and we'll just have to wait and see...

 

[VegasRam]

Looked up Sam's salary. At the end of this year, he will have been paid over $60M dollars.
Do y'all really believe money will be an issue? May be naive, but I just don't.

 

[Boffo97]

really? that's the route you're taking? after watching both backups miss so many easy td throws and make so many dumb decisions at crucial times in games that's what you're going with?

.

Um... was this directed at me or someone else?

 

[MrMotes]

See Sam's salary above. At the end of this year, he will have been paid over $60M dollars.
Do y'all really believe money will be an issue? May be naive, but I just don't.

Let's say the Rams want to pay Sam $4 mil next year and another teams offers 8. It's not only the money, it's the principle of the thing, that the other team values you more highly. It happens all the time. I'm not saying it will this time but this stuff happens a lot. People, even rich people, don't throw millions of dollars in the trash, especially when it comes with an insult of sorts...

 

[kurtfaulk]

Um... was this directed at me or someone else?

i'm pretty sure since i quoted memphis ram it's directed towards him.

and anyone else that thinks that way.

.

 

[Memphis Ram]

really? that's the route you're taking? after watching both backups miss so many easy td throws and make so many dumb decisions at crucial times in games that's what you're going with?

Nope. I'm going with the entirety of my response and not just the part you decided to quote.

BTW, while the other QBs have made mistakes, I've also seen them plays when plays break down that I haven't seen Bradford make.

 

[-X-]

I just don't understand why so many insist they have to redo his deal. It appears that people are under the impression that Bradford somehow owes the organization a "rebate" and "should" volunteer to take less $$$ than is contractually owed to him.

My question, how many of those who seem so strong about this position, would be willing to take a "heavy pay cut" and rework the final year on the contract, without some sort of protection (extension) if they were in Bradford's position?

It's easy to say he "has made enough" and "can afford to take a reduced amount".... But why would he? Players just don't give back money without getting some guarantees that they will make it back in more years, etc. And if the Rams play hardball with him, what contingencies would they have in place that wont' cost them a similar $$$ amount? (trade for a comparable starter?)

Let's follow that line of thought for the purpose of discussion.....

What do those who want him to "rework" his deal, think would be a fair $$$ amount?

Also, lets just say he agrees to play for $6-7M with incentives. When you factor in the prorated cap hit, his "number" would still be in the $11 - 12M range. How much are you saving? At $13M, he isn't even in the upper echelon of contracts for a starting QB.

The only way to make this doable from Bradford's perspective, would be to extend him beyond the 2016 season. Given his recent injury issues, would the Rams be willing to do that?

I guess my point is, while it makes for a good discussion, IMO, it's not a slam dunk that his contract will be reduced at all prior to next year. If he comes back and shows he is healthy and capable of being the QB that Fisher and Snead think he is, then I could see them extending him and working on his SECOND contract.

He doesn't really "owe" the Organization anything; but at the same time, the Organization doesn't owe him anything either. He's already earned his guaranteed salary and then some. It's just the nature of the business, and being presented with a restructured deal isn't something exclusive to Bradford. The Organization has to hedge their bets too, because it's the Rams - not the Sams. Offering him a deal that will reward him by accumulating playing time, while giving the team the flexibility to re-sign some of their own and/or bring in free agents with the money they save is a smart move that benefits everybody - including Bradford (e.g., more protection or weapons).

Bradford may not like it (nor would anyone else in his position), but it's still a decision he'll have to make. In business, leverage is key, and both the Rams and Sam have some. Sam knows that they need him and the Rams' QB options are somewhat limited; and the Rams know that other teams aren't going to pony up a lot of money for a starting QB they may not even get for a handful of games. In fact, any contract he gets from another team would probably be similar in structure (incentives) to the one the Rams will offer. So it's incumbent upon both of them (Rams and Bradford) to work together to find a mutually beneficial solution. Of course the Rams *could* just go ahead and pay him what he's due anyway, without any negotiation, but would you consider that to be a fiscally responsible move? You asked us to put ourselves in his place, but why don't you try to put yourself in the Rams' position and look at the bottom line?

 

[VegasRam]

Fair enough, (Mr Motes), but dollars simply are not everything. First off, he probably would not be going to a better team.
Second, he just might like the progress he's seen first hand with the Rams.
Third, he won't have to learn a new system, or acclimate himself to 60 new guys/coaches.
He's a midwest guy. If he has a good year next year, he gets paid, here or somewhere else.
I just don't see him jumping to another team for, when all is said and done, another $5M.

 

[LesBaker]

I agree, but there is possibility it can be reworked to lower cap hit, which would have to involve an extension. I think there are some who have an anti-Sam agenda, but those of us who like Sam realize that and extension could lower cap hit but not necessarily be less money. But, in terms of market value for his second contract he has not done what was needed to get one of those $100 million deals . . . he'll make less than he would had he not been injured for last year and a half. At least, that's my view.

I don't think anyone has an anti Sam agenda, there are just people that don't like him as the Rams QB and don't think he has a future here.

I'm not a big fan of his right now, but like I said I'd redo his deal and lower his salary and give him 2016 too.

On the open market he isn't going to get very much, the injury risk and average production are going to put A LOT of downward pressure on negotiations with any team. But there will be less pressure with the Rams.

 

[Blue and Gold]

I don't think anyone has an anti Sam agenda, there are just people that don't like him as the Rams QB and don't think he has a future here.

Not on this board. But you know there are some on Post-Dispatch and another one you are familiar that do. Thinking he is injury prone is fine and accurate. But people who said he cannot read a defense, wasn't accurate, and every other possible vice a QB could have, IMO, do have an agenda. On this board it's not that way.

 

[drasconis]

They have to redo his deal or let him walk. The fact is that in all likelyhood they are going to have to deal with both the draft and free agency before they can get a read on his recovery - which means they are going to have to cover themselves...they can't assume the best and hope, and they can't sink that much money into the position (hsi current salary - a top end back up - and a good draft pick)

It doesn't matter what we paid him in past (I agree he owes Rams nothing, and the Rams owe him nothing)
It doesn't matter what his current contract value is - only his free agent value.
He does have more value to Rams due to system knowledge
He is bigger risk to Rams also - depending on him could cost people jobs (if they pay him and he gets hurt again it is a PR nightmare)
His current contract is based purely on potential not production
His production is still a question mark (yes you can make assumptions but he does NOT havea full season of top teir production

 

[rhinobean]

Why can't a restructured contract pay him millions in incentives? That's the way I think they go! Sauce for both the goose and gander, right?

 

[-X-]

Why can't a restructured contract pay him millions in incentives? That's the way I think they go! Sauce for both the goose and gander, right?

Pretty much (I mean, it's obviously more complex than that). Kaeperpick's contract opened the door for those kinds of negotiations.

 

[Boffo97]

i'm pretty sure since i quoted memphis ram it's directed towards him.

and anyone else that thinks that way.

.

I'm completely sorry. Brain fart on my part. When you have someone on ignore, you don't see their quotes. And I didn't think of that.

My bad entirely on this one.

 

[tahoe]

Id like to think that if I were in his situation id take less money so that they could spend more in other areas to make a better team. But then again I dont know if I could honestly turn down millions of dollars.

 

[-X-]

Id like to think that if I were in his situation id take less money so that they could spend more in other areas to make a better team. But then again I dont know if I could honestly turn down millions of dollars.

You couldn't.