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What Does Sam Bradford’s New Deal Mean for Andrew Luck?

By Luke Schultheis

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) greets St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (8) after the game. The Indianapolis Colts win 38-3 over the St. Louis Rams in their first preseason game on Sunday, August 12, 2012, in Indianapolis, Indiana. August 12, 2012| Credit: MCT
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) greets St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (8) after the game. The Indianapolis Colts win 38-3 over the St. Louis Rams in their first preseason game on Sunday, August 12, 2012, in Indianapolis, Indiana. August 12, 2012| Credit: MCT /
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With Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford agreeing to a new 2-year, $36 million extension, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is about to get paid…

…even more:

As a result, Bradford’s new deal will pay him $18 million annually with $26 million guaranteed. Of course, this just raises the bar for what “pretty grood”, but not “elite” quarterbacks are currently making in today’s NFL:

What this essentially means is that NFL teams are currently overpaying for quarterbacks, which means Luck’s price-tag can only get increasingly higher as time elapses.

Like Luck, Bradford was originally the first overall pick of his own draft in 2010 by the St. Louis Rams. However, while Bradford has always possessed exceptional talent, his career has been hampered by both injuries and inconsistency:

Right now, Bradford’s new contract places him among the Top 15 highest paid annual salaries for quarterbacks in the NFL:

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Screen Shot 2016-03-01 at 10.16.46 PM /
Sep 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) motions at the line of scrimmage against the New York Jets at Lucas Oil Stadium. New York Jets defeat the Indianapolis Colts 20-7. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) motions at the line of scrimmage against the New York Jets at Lucas Oil Stadium. New York Jets defeat the Indianapolis Colts 20-7. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

If inferior quarterbacks such as Bradford are getting $18 million per year, what does that mean exactly for an elite young quarterback such as Luck on his next deal?

Well, he could command at least $25 million annually, but that may just be a baseline number for contract negotiations.

His next contract could have an unprecedented total amount guaranteed and by all indications, likely could be a “shocking number” for team owner Jim Irsay when it’s all said and done.

What that number will eventually be is anybody’s guess, but it should effectively make Luck the highest paid player in NFL history.

Before today, the Colts already knew that Luck would make contract history, but that final number appears to be literally increasing by the day, especially after new quarterback contracts such as Bradford’s.

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