Sam Bradford's Agent Tom Condon: ‘There Is No Real Competition'

The standoff continues.  

Sam Bradford isn't happy the Eagles traded up to the No. 2 pick in the draft. He stopped showing up to the team's offseason program and requested a trade. 

Bradford's agent, Tom Condon, appeared on "The Business of Sports" podcast on RossTucker.com with former agent and NFL executive Andrew Brandt last week and didn't back down from his previous statements. 

Condon reiterated that his client will no longer be attending the Eagles' voluntary program. Condon was not, however, asked if Bradford will attend the mandatory minicamp or training camp. The first mandatory minicamp will be held from June 7-9. 

"Clearly if Sam's in the locker room, the players always know what's going on," Condon said. "Players in the locker room know Sam's a short-term guy and he's just there until the rookie's ready to go. That's not a particularly favorable position for Sam. 

"And I know people say 'Why doesn't he just compete and win the job?' There is no real competition. If you've given up the draft choices and you're the second pick in the draft, [Carson Wentz is] playing. That's all there is to it."

While head coach Doug Pederson named Bradford the starter a while ago and has said he'd like Wentz to sit and learn for a while, he did recently admit that Bradford is missing important time learning his new offense (see story)

Philadelphia Eagles

Complete coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles and their NFL rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Why Jeff Lurie has no problem with Jalen Hurts' stoic demeanor 

A look at the 11 Eagles free agents who haven't found jobs yet

Basically, the situation boils down to this: Bradford wanted an opportunity to be the long-term solution in Philadelphia. Even though the contract he signed this offseason was for just two years, the money and the way the Eagles went about trying to sign him before free agency began indicated to Bradford and Condon that the Eagles saw him as a long-term solution. 

"Somewhere in there, things changed," Condon said. 

What changed was that the Eagles had an opportunity to trade up and draft a quarterback they think can be the future of the franchise. The Eagles were pretty consistent early on that they were going to draft a quarterback, but moving up to draft one at No. 2 is what has Bradford wanting out.   

"From our perspective, certainly the money is significant, but also if you're the quarterback and they've traded draft picks in order to get up to No. 2 and take a quarterback, then there's not really a competition," Condon said. "You're just, you're holding the card until you're replaced. And as far as the club is concerned, and I would guess the fans, the sooner the better."

Bradford's two-year, $35 million deal with the Eagles included $22 million in guaranteed money and an $11 million signing bonus. 

Would Bradford be willing to give back any signing bonus money to help facilitate a trade out of town? 

"I think that I probably ought to hold off on any questions in regards to cash," Condon answered. 

It seems possible that several landing spots are no longer trade options after those teams drafted a quarterback last week. And the Eagles want Bradford to be their starter in 2016, so they're not real motivated to move him. Condon said his client wants to go somewhere with a good "supporting cast," where Bradford has the ability to become the quarterback long-term, something Bradford's camp feel the Eagles can no longer offer. 

Copyright CSNPhily
Contact Us