Career Salary Game: Sam Bradford

Sam Bradford was the last of a certain class of quarterback, and it's reflected in his career earnings

Thanks to the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, Sam Bradford was the last No. 1 overall pick in the NFL to really cash in as a proverbial “bonus baby” with his rookie contract. Being a quarterback helped, thanks to the premium that position commands, and even his second contract wasn’t too bad.

Bradford won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2010 with the Rams. He later led the league completion percentage with the Vikings in 2016, after a late preseason trade from the Eagles after Minnesota lost Teddy Bridgewater.

Knee issues affected and shortened Bradford’s career, and he made 15 or more starts in a season just three times (once after his third season). In 83 starts over nine seasons, he had a 34-48-1 record. He never threw more than 21 touchdowns passes in season.

Bradford is part of what amounts to a generation of first-round quarterbacks (2009-2016) who are no longer playing or playing for the team that drafted him. That anecdote got me thinking, “how much did Bradford make in his career?”

According to Spotrac, Bradford made $130,022,863 during his NFL career. Nice work if you can get it, especially with Bradford’s list of career comps (per Pro Football Reference) looking like it does. Oh, you wanna know the list? Well, here it is:Jason Campbell, Tom Flores, Kyle Orton, Elvis Grbac, Tony Banks, David Carr, Bob Berry, Gary Danielson, Stan Humphries, James Harris. Flores is a 2021 Hall of Famer, as a coach.

Do you have an idea for a “Career Salary Game” post? Leave a comment below. I’m open to all sports, so no one/nothing is off-limits.