Arizona Cardinals release Sam Bradford, Vikings lose high compensatory pick

This offseason, the Arizona Cardinals inexplicably offered former Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback Sam Bradford a two-year contract worth $20 million a season. Bradford’s hold on the Cardinals’ starting quarterback job lasted about three weeks before they turned the reigns over to rookie Josh Rosen, making the contract look even more ridiculous.

On Saturday, the Cardinals released Bradford. . .and, in the process, may have hosed the Vikings out of a high-level compensatory draft selection.

According to Mike Sando of ESPN, by releasing Bradford before Week 10 of the season, the Cardinals have gained a sixth-round compensatory pick of their own, and in the process have apparently deprived the Vikings of what would have been a third-round compensatory pick for Bradford.

The cancellation chart that the folks from Over the Cap put together each season has proven to be pretty accurate, and as of now they have the Vikings receiving four compensatory picks in the 2019 NFL Draft. One of those was a pick for the loss of Sam Bradford. Now, it doesn’t appear as though that will be the case. The Vikings’ signing of Kirk Cousins is “canceled” by the loss of Case Keenum, according to the chart, and it would appear that Bradford is no longer going to be a qualifying free agent loss.

The potential loss of a third round pick is pretty huge for the Vikings, given that they’re already out a fifth-round pick (for Trevor Siemian) and a seventh-round pick (for Brett Jones). Over the Cap still has the Vikings projected to receive a sixth-round pick and a pair of seventh-round selections, but let’s be honest. . .that extra third round pick would have been really nice to have.

It’s also my understanding that if the Cardinals had held onto Bradford until Week 10, then he would have counted as a qualifying loss for the Vikings and they would likely have gotten that third round pick after all.

Once we have more clarification on this, we’ll have another update to the situation. However, it appears that Sam Bradford has found a way to, at least indirectly, kick the Vikings in the groin one last time.

UPDATE: According to Nick Korte of Over the Cap, the Vikings won’t recoup the lost pick for Bradford even if another team picks him up.