Less than an hour after the Eagles traded up for the No. 2 pick in this year's draft in a move to take one of the top two quarterbacks, Howie Roseman tried a little preemptive damage control.
"Let me be clear: Sam Bradford is our starting quarterback," Roseman said last Wednesday. "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."
Looks like it didn't work.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Bradford wants to be traded and won't be attending the team's offseason program anymore. That said, there have been conflicting reports regarding Bradford's reaction to the Eagles' acquisition of the second overall pick in the draft. Earlier Monday morning, Yahoo's Charles Robinson reported the opposite, that Bradford, while upset about the trade, is "prepared to prove to the Eagles that he's a franchise quarterback."
Last week Schefter reported that Bradford was angered by the trade, and Jason Cole of Bleacher Report took it a step further by saying that Bradford would likely ask for a trade.
Earlier this offseason, Bradford signed a two-year deal worth $35 million, with $22 million fully guaranteed. Trading Bradford now would result in $11 million in dead money.
Sure, Bradford, 28, signed a lucrative deal, but not one that would appear to be a long-term plan for the organization, which makes his reported unhappiness a little confusing.
Philadelphia Eagles
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles and their NFL rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.
A day before the trade, Bradford was dismissive when asked about the possibility of the Eagles' trading up to take a quarterback.
“I learned a long time ago to stay away from stuff like that,” he said. “It’s not my first time that I’ve gone through a situation like this. I think I learned a long time ago to not worry about things I can’t control, and that’s something I can’t control."
But perhaps the biggest problem the Eagles have right now is the potential for a very unhappy locker room.
Bradford's teammates, who seem to like the veteran quarterback, might not be happy about his reaction. At least two of his teammates, Jordan Matthews and Zach Ertz, really like him. Both publicly pushed for the team to re-sign Bradford and both visited him in Oklahoma earlier this offseason.
The Eagles aren't together again as a team until OTAs start on May 17. But all the OTAs are voluntary. June 7 marks the first day of the mandatory minicamp. The Eagles can't begin to fine Bradford until he misses a mandatory camp day.
