Smallwood: Things worked out fine for Sam Bradford and Eagles

NORMALLY DURING one of these weeks when a traded NFL quarterback returns to the city where he played the previous season, the story organically flows down the road of "What will it be like to go back there?"

Certainly with former Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford coming back to Lincoln Financial Field with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, there will be some of that talk, but it probably will be more forced than natural.

Was Bradford a member of the Eagles long enough for him and the city to have formed much of a connection?

Bradford's tenure in the City of Brotherly Love lasted about 18 months: March 10, 2015, to Sept. 3, 2016.

During that time, Bradford, started 14 games for the Birds, passed for 3,725 yards with 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

The Eagles went 7-7 with Bradford as the starter; missed the playoffs. They rewarded him with a $35 million extension, moved up to draft quarterback Carson Wentz No. 2 overall, saw Bradford quit voluntary workouts in a hissy-fit over Wentz, kissed and made up with Bradford, then traded him to Minnesota a week before the season for a first-round draft pick.

Bradford's season on the brink might indeed be one of the more unusual chapters in Eagles history, but did it resonate? His coming back to the Linc isn't like Donovan McNabb returning with Washington after 11 years in midnight green.

If a fan's intention is to boo Bradford, why?

He wasn't a bad player for the Eagles, and that little tantrum over Wentz was understandable, if not acceptable.

The guy correctly saw the writing on the wall about his future in Philadelphia.

If a fan's intention is to cheer Bradford, why?

He wasn't a great player for the Eagles and the team accomplished little with him and did not appear as if it would move significantly forward with him as the quarterback.

Bradford's impact on Eagles lore ranks lower than short-stay quarterbacks Nick Foles, Michael Vick, Jeff Garcia and Rodney Peete - who all took the Birds to the playoffs.

The Eagles/Bradford romance always seemed like a shotgun-wedding, with both sides looking to avoid the walk down the aisle.

The uncertainty made it difficult for Eagles fans to fully connect to Bradford.

As a player, Bradford was an inconsequential Eagle and will likely be greeted with indifference on Sunday.

Still, I'm thinking Bradford should get one of the biggest receptions ever - a standing ovation that lasts for several minutes.

Clearly, it wasn't the Eagles' original plan, but the last-second trade of Bradford forced the beginning of the Wentz era.

Despite two straight losses, Wentz is a leading candidate for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and looks as if he could develop into a franchise-altering quarterback.

The gravy is that the 2017 first-round pick (from the Vikings) and conditional fourth-round pick (from the Browns) almost restocks the Eagles with draft assets they gave up to get Wentz.

The Eagles' future has not looked this bright since the drafted McNabb second overall in 1999.

The Wentz Wagon is boarding, and folks are lined up at Wentzylvania Station.

Bradford, however, should be equally grateful to the Eagles.

I'm not saying the guy needs to pull an Allen Iverson and kiss the turf at the Linc, but rarely has an athlete received so much for doing so little for a franchise.

Beyond the $24 million Bradford got for a 1 1/2-year run as an Eagle, the Birds traded him to the best spot he possibly could have hoped for.

Bradford stormed out of voluntary workouts and demanded a trade because he knew Wentz was the long-term choice in Philadelphia, meaning he had no future here.

The sixth-year quarterback could not have imagined that the Eagles would send him to the best situation he's been in since his Heisman Trophy-winning year at the University of Oklahoma in 2008.

Bradford wasn't in an outhouse scenario with the Eagles, but they are not at the championship-contending level, as the Vikings are.

Thus far, fans in Minnesota are smiling while watching Bradford the same way Eagles fans are smiling while watching Wentz.

Coming off a bye week, the Vikings (5-0) are the only undefeated team remaining, and Bradford has been a big part of that. In four starts for Minnesota, Bradford has completed 88 of 125 passes for 990 yards, with six touchdowns and no interceptions.

Bradford is the only quarterback completing 70 percent of his passes (70.4), and he is second overall with a passer rating of 109.8.

It has to be emphasized that Bradford is doing this without the complement of injured All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson.

At this stage of the season, Bradford is near the top of the conversation for NFL Most Valuable Player.

It's been win-win for Philadelphia and Minnesota.

This is one of those rare trades that worked out well for everybody. Maybe that's reason enough to give Bradford a decent round of applause Sunday.