Sam Bradford had been penciled in as the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting quarterback all offseason long. He was hoping to turn things around this season after a failed first year in Philadephia. That won’t end up happening.

The Minnesota Vikings were excited to see what starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater could do this season. He had worked hard all offseason long to lead the Vikings back to the playoffs, but he went down with a gruesome knee injury. He will miss the entire 2016 NFL season, and his future past the upcoming season is in doubt.

According to a report from ESPN, the Vikings made the move to acquire Bradford from the Eagles. They gave up a first-round pick, while also trading a fourth-round pick. It was a steep price for the Vikings to pay, but if Bradford can live up to his full potential, the trade will be worth it.

Last season with the Eagles, Bradford ended up completing 65.0 percent of his pass attempts for 3,725 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He was turnover prone, to say the least, but there is plenty of room for him to improve moving forward. Bradford will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders, but the Vikings obviously believe that he is capable of leading them to contention.

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Minnesota has put together a very good all-around football team. They have a few defensive playmakers that come together to make things very difficult for opposing offenses, and they have multiple offensive playmakers that give them the ability to put up points against any defense.

At 28-years-old, Bradford is, without question, capable of living up to his full potential. He has suffered multiple injuries throughout his young career that have set him back. Bradford is hoping to put those injuries behind him and prove that he was worthy of being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

#Viking WR's were happy and impressed with Sam Bradford in practice today. pic.twitter.com/HhKLvVKz6X — Skol Bros (@SkolBros) September 5, 2016

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Bradford in Minnesota. He is being given yet another chance to find the right spot for himself. Minnesota is a playoff caliber team, but they need their starting quarterback to be an above average game manager at the very least.

Looking ahead to the 2016 season, there is no question that the Vikings can make the playoffs with Bradford as their starting quarterback.

Adrian Peterson is still the best running back in the NFL despite all of the media hype surrounding other backs. He is going to be the workhorse for the Minnesota offense and will take a lot of pressure off of Bradford. That is exactly what Bradford has needed throughout his career to this point.

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Green Bay is widely viewed as the big favorite in the NFC North division this season. Minnesota was able to knock them off in Week 17 last year to claim the division championship. Winning the division isn’t a likely outcome for the Vikings this season, but a Wild Card spot in the playoffs isn’t too far-fetched.

Outside of the Packers, the Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, and Seattle Seahawks all appear to be locks to make the playoffs. Those four teams are already penciled in, which gives the Vikings a couple more spots to compete for.

Expect to see Bradford and the Vikings end up making the playoffs when everything is said and done. While Bradford may not be a popular name right now, he is just as capable of running the Vikings’ offense as Bridgewater was going to be this season.

Don’t be surprised if the Vikings end up having a very similar season to the year that they had in 2015. Bradford is ready to step up and prove that he is still capable of being the starting quarterback for a playoff caliber team.

Do you think Sam Bradford will lead the Minnesota Vikings to the NFL playoffs in 2016? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!

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