Sam Bradford's agent says Eagles should have told QB about draft plans
At least one person on the planet thinks the Eagles owed it to Sam Bradford to clue him in on their draft plans
By
Ryan Wilson
•
3 min read
At least one person on the planet thinks the Eagles owed it to Sam Bradford to clue him in on their draft plans: Bradford's agent Tom Condon. Never mind that such a move is highly irregular, or that the team has enough to worry about as it prepares for the draft with a new coach and a new(ly reinstalled) general manager.
According to Condon, the Eagles did Bradford -- the same guy they'll pay $18 million in 2016 and possibly $36 million over two years -- a great disservice by keeping him out of the loop.
"As they were making this plan, it would have been nice if they had told him about it," Condon told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio on Tuesday.
Condon's referring to the Eagles' decision to move up from No. 8 to No. 2 in the draft, presumably to take whichever quarterback the Rams don't. All indications are that Carson Wentz will be that guy. (The last time Philly selected a quarterback that high? Donovan McNabb went second overall in 1999.)
In related news: Bradford has since demanded a trade.
"[Roseman] was not too surprised [about Bradford's trade request]," Condon said. "He knew how Sam felt. Sam made it very clear to them, he was adamant when they informed him last week about the trade up to No. 2. He told them he was not very happy about it. He made that very clear. So this [trade demand] comes as no surprise.
"Basically, our contention is that the team could have used the draft picks on offensive and defensive players for this season, to win this season. If the plan was to build for the future, where does that leave Sam this year?"
To quote Roseman, who spoke to the media on Monday: "I want to reiterate our support for Sam Bradford and go back to our statements last week -- that Sam is our starting quarterback. His agent and Sam know how we feel about him. ... We look forward to seeing Sam again in the near future."
Get comfortable, Howie; Condon says he's informed the Eagles that Bradford won't show up until June 7, the first day of mandatory minicamp. And just so we're clear: The issue, according to Condon, isn't Bradford's job security in 2016 -- that's been all but assured -- it's 2017 and beyond.
"Sam wants the opportunity to go someplace and not only be the starter, but be the starter there long-term," Condon told Sirius XM NFL Radio. "The offseason program is voluntary and he certainly can make his wishes known with regard to wanting to go someplace else and setup and be there for the rest of his career."
This is where we invoke the words of CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, who wrote earlier this week: "Let's get a few things straight: If there was anything approximating a market for Bradford it was Condon's job to find it before the start of free agency. News flash -- no one was clamoring for him then, outside of Philadelphia, and no one is now."
La Canfora adds that "It's beyond ludicrous to be asking for a trade now."
And a high-ranking team official told La Canfora, "I can't believe Condon is actually doing this. I don't understand it at all. This is not the way he operates. Bradford needs to keep his mouth shut with all of the money he is being paid. It's not like he signed a long-term deal. ... Come on, what were his expectations when he signed? He needs to shut up and show up and show he can play and try to set himself to get paid again somewhere else."
Seems like good advice.
