Although there has a been a progression of the quality of play from African-American quarterbacks with the recent successes of Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, Teddy Bridgewater, Tyrod Taylor and others, there still appears to be some favoritism that favors the white quarterback in the NFL when talking a long-term deal.
In looking at Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Sam Bradford, the fact he has received a long-term deal to remain the starter of the franchise is a bit baffling. With such an unproven record in the NFL, the decision to extend the offer should raise some eyebrows. Over Bradford’s career, he has posted a losing record of 25-37-1, without a trip to the playoffs, never recording a winning season, and has blown his ACL twice. His record is not an indictment on how his career can play out because he surely has all the tools to sit among the upper echelon of quarterbacks in the league. But as it currently stands, some African-American quarterbacks may not have the luxury of being injury plagued, having a losing career record, coming off of a 7-7 campaign, and still be courted for a multi-year deal to remain the face of the franchise.
Vince Young‘s rocky journey in the NFL can be observed in comparison to Bradford in some respects. Despite being a signal caller for six years, Young’s career ended with a winning record of 31-19. Now don’t get it twisted, Young wasn’t the sexiest of options at the quarterback position. His touchdown to interception ratio was in the gutter, and he did not have the make up of your prototypical quarterback.But at the end of the day, he kept his team in games with the opportunity to walk away with a W. Nevertheless, a healthy long-term contract was never floated his way. If winning is the ultimate statistic, a multi-year deal from management should warrant such despite how other statistical categories play out.
Take a look at Michael Vick’s reemergence into the league. Though returning from serving a 23-month sentence from his dogfighting scandal, if Vick did not come into Philly and inject the team with some hope by way of the heroic play he displayed throughout the 2010 season, would the eagles have extended him a long-term deal? Would they have kept Donavan McNabb around for as long as they did if he didn’t record eight winning seasons out of the eleven that he was there?
Even looking at Robert Griffin’s decline in D.C., he hasn’t, and most likely won’t, receive a long-term offer from the Redskins. Even after taking his squad to the playoffs his rookie year and pretty much blowing his knee out in the process, that has never bolstered contract talks in his favor. He has had to earn his keep every step of the way only to not receive a long-term contract. While that can be said for Griffin, the opposite could be argued for Bradford.
What are your thoughts on the Eagles recent offer to Bradford? Like, share, comment, positively act, and most of all, think.
