Odds Say Sam Bradford Won’t Resurface as Starter in 2019

• Odds favor Sam Bradford not starting in the NFL next season
• Is there value in betting the long shot?
• Who might be interested in the veteran pivot in 2019?

Late in the fourth quarter in Week 3 of the Cardinals’ eventual loss to the Bears, head coach Steve Wilks decided he’d had enough of starting quarterback Sam Bradford.

BREAKING: Sam Bradford has been benched with 4 mins left in the game for Josh Rosen down by 2 👀

— Fantasy Football Observer (@FantasyObserver) September 23, 2018

Despite having his best game of the season thus far, throwing for two touchdowns and staking the Cardinals to a 14-3 lead, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft could not stop turning the ball over.

Khalil Mack gets to Bradford again, forces a fumblepic.twitter.com/kIstPeAkFn

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 23, 2018

That Khalil Mack strip was the final of three turnovers for Bradford, who also added two miserable picks earlier in the game to help the Bears stay within striking distance.

https://twitter.com/CoyotesGlendale/status/1043987410562867200

With first rounder Josh Rosen now named the starter for next week and presumably, the rest of the year, oddsmakers looked into the crystal ball of Sam Bradford’s career. It doesn’t look good.

https://twitter.com/HargraveGlobal/status/1041448423923146752

Let’s have a look and break this down.

Odds Sam Bradford Starts Week 1 of 2019 NFL Season 

Does Bradford Find Another Gig?

Barring a major miracle – think something like Rosen gets hurt, Bradford is re-installed and the Cardinals reel off 11 wins in their final 13 games to make the playoffs – his one-year, $20 million contract will be his last one with Arizona.

Sam Bradford earns $312,500 for each game he is on the 46-man game day roster. That’s the largest such bonus for any player in the NFL this year. https://t.co/IDrRoJ3Qeg

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 23, 2018

But if there’s a quarterback that finds a way to resurface, it’s this guy. A lot of teams have put down a lot of dollars for him to be a starter, and he’s hardly delivered.

Sam Bradford Statistics (2015-Present)

Yet, even with the deepest talent of QBs in the NFL in a long time, it’s hardly out of the question for Bradford to find his way back to starting for a team next year.

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Injuries are common in the NFL, and getting a guy who actually has real reps could be worth it for some teams, if only for a tiny one or two-year pact. Don’t mind the fact he’s actually been horrible, fellas.

Sam Bradford threw this 12 yard bomb for -5 yards. This is what $20M bought us this year. #FreeRosen @josh3rosen pic.twitter.com/w65B15SVyI

— Gordo (@rdgordo) September 18, 2018

The other scenario would be that he goes unsigned, but near the end of training camp a starting QB goes down with a serious injury, and a team seeks out his veteran help. It’s happened the last two years, with Jay Cutler in 2017 and Adrian Peterson this year (at running back).

What Team Might Be Interested in Sam Bradford?

The NFL moves exponentially fast, so forgive us for the speculation that might seem nuts even two weeks from now. Green Bay has already shown in the past that there’s no plan B behind Aaron Rodgers when injury strikes, and that’s happened a bunch lately, this year being no exception.

Let's check in on Sam Bradford! pic.twitter.com/QCyGbEKf6s

— Joe Giglio (@JoeGiglioSports) September 17, 2018

A team like the Jaguars may want to have a game-manager in the fold in case Blake Bortles does Blake Bortles things. In a conservative passing scheme, the one asset Bradford does have is accuracy, leading the league in completion percentage 2016.

And maybe he’s a two week stop gap for Jimmy G in San Francisco,  giving Garoppolo a few more weeks to ensure he’s fully ready.

Is there Value in Betting on Sam Bradford?

The eye test tells me that Bradford is done, but that hasn’t stopped teams from plugging him into their lineup.

And yet, with knee issues, a reluctance to throw the deep ball (career 6.6 yards per attempt), and little athleticism to make plays outside the pocket, it’s still wildly within the realm of possibility Sam Bradford will be introduced in a starting lineup at some point next year.

There’s value on that yes for opening day.