The Arizona Cardinals released quarterback Sam Bradford on Saturday, sending back into the free-agent pool where he’ll undoubtedly be picked up and given another chance to play for a quarterback-needy team.
Time will tell on that, but we already know that Arizona cutting Bradford is bad news for the Vikings. In doing so, the Vikings lose out on a third-round compensatory pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
With the @azcardinals releasing Sam Bradford, the @vikings lose a projected 2019 third-round comp pick, and AZ gains a projected sixth.
— Mike Sando (@SandoNFL) November 3, 2018
It’s not the Cardinals taking a dig at the Vikings by cutting the veteran quarterback. This is purely a case of Arizona, one of the worst teams in the NFL, handing the keys to their offense to rookie first-round pick Josh Rosen, who took over the starting job after Bradford played terribly in three starts to begin the season.
The 30 year old threw for 400 yards while getting picked off four times in three starts, all losses to the Redskins, Rams and Bears.
The pick was never guaranteed to Minnesota, but it’s still a bummer that Bradford couldn’t last to help his old ‘mates out with a valuable pick.
And don’t feel bad for Bradford: he made $13.5 million for playing just three games with Arizona.
Cardinals wound up paying QB Sam Bradford a $10 million signing bonus, about $2.5 million in base salary and another $1 million in playtime bonuses – a total of $13.5 million for playing three games.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 3, 2018
