Sam Bradford is back with the Eagles and passing the buck on his ill-fated trade demand.
The veteran quarterback told reporters in Philadelphia on Tuesday that his high-powered agent, Tom Condon, was the one who thought it was a good idea to ask the Eagles to deal him after they traded up to the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft to take North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz.
Bradford also refused to attend the Eagles’ voluntary offseason workouts for two weeks before deciding to end his tantrum in the face of widespread criticism of his unwillingness to fight for the starting job.
“My agent thought that [requesting the trade] was the best option, and after those two weeks, we realized this was the best place to be,” Bradford told reporters.
That didn’t keep the outside mockery of Bradford from rolling in. Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett roasted the Philly passer in an interview with ESPN.
“I listened to Sam Bradford again, [and] I just almost threw up,” Bennett told the network. “I can’t believe Sam Bradford is complaining … because he actually has to compete for a position.
“This guy right here definitely sets a bad tone of what a player should be. If I was his teammate, how can you play with a guy that doesn’t want to compete at a high level and feels like his position should be solidified without even putting up the stats or the wins to back that up?”
Bradford explained that part of his dismay was that the trade up for Wentz sent the clear message that Bradford’s hold on the starting job and time in Philly will not be long.
“If I continue to play at a high level each week on the field, if we are winning games, I think I will be the starting quarterback and I will be out there,” said Bradford, who is signed only through the 2017 season. “With that being said, I’m not completely naïve. You realize the organization made a move to get up to No. 2 [in the draft], at some point it’s probably not going to be my team.”
The Eagles never seriously considered Bradford’s trade demand, in part because they didn’t want to go into this season with a rookie (Wentz) and an inexperienced veteran (Chase Daniel) as their only quarterbacks.
New Eagles coach Doug Pederson reiterated the team’s belief in Bradford, at least for the short term, saying Tuesday the former No. 1 overall pick will be his starter this fall.
“Sam’s still the starter,” Pederson said. “Carson has a long way to go with this system. He’s learning every day, but Sam’s the guy. I expect Sam not to look over his shoulder. I expect Sam to look forward. He is getting ready for the season. He is getting ready for Cleveland [in the season opener]. That’s what I expect from Sam.”
