Nick Piccone
Much has been made about the soap opera that Sam Bradford has caused in demanding a trade from the Eagles after the team moved up to the No. 2 pick to draft Carson Wentz. Bradford and his agent, Tom Condon, are pushing the narrative that the Eagles didn’t let them know they were planning to draft a quarterback, even though we know that’s 100% not the case because Pederson said as much time and time again during interviews.
I thought it was bullshit then, and I still think it’s bullshit now. And that’s not because of what Sal Paolantonio told Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic on ESPN Radio this morning. Bradford signed a two-year deal, which is essentially a one-year deal, and Condon was smart enough to know that. These guys absolutely knew what the Eagles planned to do and for them to play dumb is anything but legit.
This morning, Sal Pal joined the Mike & Mike Show on ESPN Radio and reported Pederson told Bradford and Chase Daniel the team was planning to draft a quarterback for them to groom and they were going to be involved in the process. Via Pro Football Talk:
He told me that he told Bradford and Chase Daniel up front that they were going to draft a quarterback, and they were going to try to nurture him for the future, and they expected Bradford and Daniel to be part of that, but that this year Bradford would be the starter,” Paolantonio said. “And they were shocked when they told Bradford that they were going up to No. 2 and they were making the trade and investing five picks, and Bradford’s reaction was one of anger, and he abruptly walked out of the offseason training program.”
Bradford is back in Oklahoma, according to Paolantonio, and he won’t answer calls from Pederson. Mike Florio of PFT notes that something could have been lost in translation – which is plausible – that Pederson could be telling the truth but Bradford thought they meant a late-round quarterback, and when they traded up to the second overall pick, he knew he was being replaced pretty quickly. There’s one problem with that:
HE SIGNED WHAT’S BASICALLY A ONE-YEAR CONTRACT! HE ALREADY KNEW THIS!
I’m done. Get off my team, Sammy.
You can listen to audio of Sal Pal here, starting around the 14-minute mark. Listen to the end after Sal Pal gets cut off and hear Golic tell Bradford to be a professional and get over it. It makes me smile.