Sam Bradford's time with the Arizona Cardinals was very limited, but also very lucrative. (Norm Hall / Getty Images)

NFL Bust Somehow Pockets $13.5 Million Despite Getting Cut After Playing Just 3 Games

By Ross Kelly November 5, 2018 at 6:56am

When the Arizona Cardinals signed free-agent quarterback Sam Bradford to a $20 million contract in March, the deal didn’t look very good on paper.

When the Cardinals drafted Josh Rosen with the No. 10 overall pick a month later, Bradford’s deal looked even worse.

Now that Arizona has cut Bradford just nine weeks into the season, the contract he signed is looking like one of the worst in recent memory. For all of 80 pass attempts this season — and just two touchdowns, and no victories — Bradford has earned $13.5 million and he could earn even more if he’s signed by another team.

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

Since being benched for Rosen in Week 3, Bradford had been demoted to third-string quarterback behind backup QB Mike Glennon.

That wasn’t due to performance reasons, but rather financial reasons. Bradford would receive a roster bonus of $312,500 for each week that he was active, so making him the No. 3 quarterback meant that he would be inactive each week and only used as the emergency quarterback.

Bradford will go on waivers before becoming a free agent and if a team claims him before he clears waivers it would inherit the remainder of his Cardinals contract. That includes $2.5 million in base salary, $2.5 million in roster bonuses and a $20 million salary for 2019.

Or in other words, no team is going to claim him off waivers. Bradford will become a free agent and with the likes of Tom Savage and Matt Barkley recently getting NFL jobs, there’s a good chance Bradford gets another opportunity as well.

Will Sam Bradford get a chance with another NFL team this season?

Bradford was the first pick of the 2010 NFL draft after winning the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma. He was the Offensive Rookie of the Year with the St. Louis Rams but injuries have derailed his career since then.

He’s played for the Rams, Eagles, Vikings and Cardinals and all four teams have given up on him in some form or fashion. Bradford’s ratio of touchdowns (103) to interceptions (61) isn’t awful, but his career record is just 34-48-1.

Despite the lack of success on the field, he’s been compensated like a future Hall of Famer and has made over $120 million in his career.

Any team can claim this man, and his former Cardinals’ contract, on waivers Monday: pic.twitter.com/r6u5cfK8aD

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 4, 2018

Spotrac ranks him 17th in career earnings among all players in NFL history and 14th among active players.

The only player above him on the list who never made a Pro Bowl, just as Bradford hasn’t, is Joe Flacco. However, the Ravens’ quarterback does have a Super Bowl to his name.

As for where Bradford will end up next, many signs point to him backing up another former No. 1 overall pick in New York.

https://twitter.com/billbarnwell/status/1058814779630989314

Meanwhile, the Cardinals don’t have plans to add another quarterback at this point and will roll with Rosen as the starter and Glennon as his backup.

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