Sam Bradford Ends Extremely Weak Holdout

The crisis that has paralyzed the Philadelphia Eagles for 15 harrowing days is finally over: Sam Bradford has put an end to his holdout.

Bradford, who signed two-year contract with $22 million guaranteed this offseason, was not happy about the fact that the Eagles traded up in the draft to take rookie Carson Wentz. Angry about being made into a stopgap starter, Bradford immediately demanded a trade from the Eagles and vowed to skip all of the team’s voluntary offseason workouts. Well, turns out nobody really wants to trade for a not-good quarterback, and Bradford has thrown in the towel. Here’s a statement he released, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter:

“I’m excited to be back on the field today with my teammates and coaches. The business-side of football is sometimes a necessary consideration. My attention and efforts are focused on the participation in and preparation for a championship season: I am committed to my teammates and the Eagles organization for nothing less.”

It was always going to end like this for Bradford, because he never really had any leverage. He’s not good enough to justify the cap hit that any team willing to trade for him would have to withstand, and the Eagles seem to be in no rush to break up a scenario in which Bradford can start for a bit while Wentz marinates on the sidelines. Bradford’s just going to have to play out his cushy contract and start as many games as the Eagles need him to, and then hit the bench when Wentz is ready. There are worse fates for a quarterback who has already banked $78 million during his career.

Photo via AP