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It was never a secret that the Philadelphia Eagles had interest in drafting a potential franchise quarterback this offseason. Doug Pederson literally said as much prior to Sam Bradford even re-signing with the Eagles. Shortly after the Eagles signed Bradford to a new contract, Pederson was asked about how he expected Bradford to react to Philadelphia drafting a rookie. Here was his response, via Zach Berman of The Inquirer:
"And honestly, if you’re the starter, who cares? Who cares? Why are you looking over your shoulder, if you’re the starter. And that’s the way Sam has to approach this. Even with Chase [Daniel] there. And even if we go out and draft a quarterback this year. If you’re the guy, you’re the guy. You’re looking forward and not behind. If you’re constantly looking behind, that’s a problem."
By Pederson's definition, Bradford is now looking behind him and he doesn't like what he sees. The 28-year-old veteran has demanded a trade and won't attend voluntary workouts. Bradford's agent, Tom Condon, made it clear that Bradford is uncomfortable with not only the potential rookie as a threat to his job, but Chase Daniel as well.
Pederson was right. With Bradford looking behind him, that is a big problem for the Birds. Now the Eagles, who claim they still want Bradford to stay, have to figure out what to do with them. Do they trade him? Can they even get value for him? Do they try to be patient and hope that he'll end his hold out? How much practice time can he really afford to miss given that he's learning a new system?
A lot of questions with no answers ... yet.
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