PHOENIX -- Five years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles had Sam Bradford graded as the best NFL quarterback prospect in a decade.

That was long before Chip Kelly was head coach of the Eagles, as Andy Reid was in charge of the team’s draft.

“When he was scouted out of college, we thought -- and this goes back to Andy -- we thought he was the best young quarterback we’d seen in a long, long time,” Lurie said Tuesday. “Probably since Peyton Manning coming out of college. Rookie of the year his first year. Outstanding. Pat Shurmur had him as an offensive coordinator, reconfirmed everything we’d heard about him in the draft process. Extraordinary competitor. Incredibly accurate and needs to stay healthy.”

So Lurie wasn’t completely surprised when Kelly decided to go after Bradford, who had been the first overall in the 2010 draft by St. Louis.

As Lurie sees it, finding a franchise quarterback is the No. 1 priority in building a Super Bowl contender. His team had drafted Donovan McNabb second overall back in 1999. That led to a decade of success, including the franchise’s second every Super Bowl appearance.

With Michael Vick, Lurie thought the Eagles took a gamble on a franchise-caliber quarterback. That is what Bradford represents. He has missed most of the last two seasons after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament twice.

“There was an opportunity to do an upside gamble with an outstanding young quarterback who you hope can become healthier throughout his career,” Lurie said. “It is so hard to get a franchise quarterback, as you know. It sets the ceiling on what you have as a team, and do you want to take upside gambles or not? You’ve got to make that decision.”

Kelly spent roughly a month doing research on Bradford. He came away convinced that Bradford could be the franchise quarterback he appeared to be in the 2010 draft.

So Kelly traded Nick Foles, his quarterback for most of the past two seasons, for Bradford. The belief, Lurie said, was that Bradford can elevate the Eagles’ level of quarterback play.

“These are not flippant decisions of a head coach,” Lurie said. “These are very studied decisions. He watched Sam Bradford hundreds of times. He talked to every coach he ever had. This is well-researched. It wouldn’t satisfy me if it wasn’t.”