Shortly after the Eagles traded up for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft on Wednesday, a report emerged that Sam Bradford was unhappy with the move. ESPN's Adam Schefter specifically said Bradford is "hot" (as in angry, not attractive) and "wants to show everyone who’s best.’’ Now there's a report that Bradford is "likely" to ask for a trade out of Philadelphia. From Jason Cole of Bleacher Report:
I’ve talked to a source that has said it’s likely Bradford is going to ask for a trade at some point in time or some way to get out of Philadelphia so that he can move on with his career somewhere else with a team that’s going to be invested in him long-term. That’s the kind of solution that Bradford is looking at in this point in time.
The question for Bradford is whether he’s willing to take some kind of pay cut to make that happen. He has $11 million he’s already been paid by the Philadelphia Eagles as part of the two-year deal he signed before the start of free agency.
Now for the Eagles, they’ve expressed that Bradford is the starter for right now. They would like to have a bridge between whoever they have in the draft that they take at No. 2 and eventually when that person becomes the starter. However, the Eagles can likely turn to Chase Daniel as he signed to a $7 million per year contract to be the interim starter if they let Bradford go. So the Eagles have options. The question is whether Bradford is going to push on his options.
Again, it's reasonable to think Bradford is disappointed. He might even ask for a trade. But that doesn't mean it's going to be granted.
Doug Pederson has publicly committed to Bradford as the team's starting quarterback. Howie Roseman reiterated that notion on Wednesday in his press conference right after the trade was announced.
"Let me be clear: Sam Bradford is our starting quarterback," he said. "We’ve told Sam that. We intend to support him and the moves we’ve made this offseason, we believe, will give us a chance to compete this season."
We already went over why a Bradford trade doesn't make sense from a financial perspective.
The Eagles awarded Bradford with a two-year contract worth $35 million this offseason. $22 million of that is guaranteed. By trading Bradford this year, the Eagles would take an $11 million hit in dead money.
I just don't see Bradford taking a pay cut, either. Why would he do that? He's going to be starting this year anyway.
Even if the Eagles did want to trade Bradford, which I don't think they do, where would they send him? The Broncos, Jets, and 49ers are among teams with quarterback vacancies but it's not exactly like there was a hot market for Bradford if he made it to free agency.
From what I can tell, Bradford isn't some raging egomaniac that will destroy the locker room. He's pretty mild-mannered. I find it hard to believe Bradford is really that upset about the Eagles trading up for a quarterback when he knows he only signed to what's essentially a one year deal. Bradford, who turns 29 in the fall, has a history of injury and inconsistency. He's often been average at best. It's hard to blame the Eagles for trying to upgrade.
Philadelphia drafting a quarterback at No. 2 obviously doesn't help Bradford's chances of sticking around as the long-term option. But it doesn't mean he can't go out and try to play at a high level in order to stave off the rookie.
While I don't think it's realistic that Bradford gets traded this season, it's absolutely on the table for next year. The Eagles are probably hoping Bradford plays decent enough in order to flip him for a draft pick. That asset would allow the Eagles to replenish some of the picks they gave away to move up for the quarterback they will take at No. 2.
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