Eagles, Sam Bradford need each other, don’t have much choice

The Eagles and Sam Bradford may not be a match made in heaven. But they are a match nonetheless.

And despite musings on local talk radio, the two parties are closer to signing a deal than ever before.

On SiriusXM’s NFL Radio, Bradford’s agent Tom Condon made a case for Bradford, sighting his last four games with the Birds as having been elite, and his year as a whole right smack dab in the middle of NFL quarterbacks.

The quarterback franchise tag number was revealed to be $19.95 million, a little pricey for the Eagles (though they do have the cap room). But according to various reports an actual deal is more likely, for somewhere in the $12-15 million range. Condon agrees.

“With regard to the tag, I couldn’t tell you,” Condon said on airMonday. “That’s a decision they’ll have to make by tomorrow if we haven’t come to some resolution. In terms of exactly what’s going to happen one way or another, I’m sure we’ll have some conversations today.”

His language, “if we haven’t come to some resolution,” seems to imply the parties are close. CSNPhilly has reported that the Eagles have improved their offer, and that — paired with the fact that there are really no other teams with which Bradford could sign and start –make Philly a top option.

It also doesn’t hurt that players from Zach Ertz to Malcolm Jenkins, along with Howie Roseman and Doug Pederson all said they wanted Bradford back. If the money doesn’t make him feel the love, perhaps the Eagles brass can.

The Birds can still draft a quarterback in the 2016 NFL Draft, to groom for the future, just as Pederson said he prefers to do. Just don’t expect anyone aside from No. 7 (save for the inevitable injury setback) to be atop the depth chart in South Philly for at least one more season.