QBs Bradford, Foles swap teams
The St. Louis Rams and Philadelphia Eagles have swapped starting quarterbacks on Tuesday, the first day of the NFL's new league year.
Nick Foles, who emerged as the Eagles' starter in 2013, goes to the Rams in exchange for Sam Bradford, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft. Trade talks were first reported by ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
In addition to Foles, the Rams will also get Philadelphia's fourth-round pick in 2015 and second-round pick in 2016. The Eagles will get St. Louis' fifth-round pick in 2015 in addition to Bradford.
The Eagles can also pick up a conditional pick in 2016 based on how many snaps Bradford takes. If Bradford plays less than 50 percent the Eagles will get a 4th-round pick, if he does not play at all it becomes a 3rd-rounder. If Bradford plays more than 50 percent of snaps the Eagles will not receive any additional compensation.
Bradford, 27, missed the entire 2014 season after tearing his left ACL for the second straight season. Foles, 26, missed the second half of the season after breaking his collarbone in a Week 9 game against Houston.
In the 18 games Foles started for coach Chip Kelly, his record was 14-4. Foles surpassed Michael Vick as Philadelphia's starter by throwing 27 touchdown passes and just two interceptions in 2013. Foles went to the Pro Bowl after the 2013 season and was named offensive MVP of the game.
Playing behind an injury-riddled offensive line in 2014, Foles' numbers weren't as eye-popping. He threw 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. But Foles' record in his eight starts was 6-2.
Bradford's record as a starter in St. Louis was 18-30-1. In his rookie season, when Bradford went 7-9, the Rams' offensive coordinator was Pat Shurmur, who is now Kelly's offensive coordinator in Philadelphia.
Bradford missed six games in 2011, but the Rams were just 1-9 in the 10 games he started that season.
The injuries and Bradford's contract, which would pay him $13 million for 2015, had the Rams looking to go in a different direction. Foles, a third-round pick out of Arizona in 2012, is scheduled to earn $1.52 million in the final season of his rookie contract.
It is unclear whether the Eagles plan to commit to Bradford as their starting quarterback or if this trade was part of a larger plan. Speculation has been rampant that Kelly would try to move up in the first round of this year's draft for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.
On Sunday, the Eagles re-signed backup quarterback Mark Sanchez on a two-year contract worth $9 million.
The Rams on Tuesday added quarterback Case Keenum in a trade with the Houston Texans, sources told Schefter. St. Louis will send a 2016 7th-round pick back to Houston, according to sources.
Information from Rams reporter Nick Wagoner contributed to this report.
