Sam Bradford Wants Out Of Philadelphia?

1:22pm: While a trade request has been issued, the Eagles have not given Bradford permission to speak to other teams, tweets Mike Klis of 9NEWS. Howie Roseman reiterated to John Clark of CSN Philly today that Bradford is the Eagles’ starting quarterback and there’s no plan to move him.

11:18am: Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) backs up Schefter’s report, writing that Bradford’s agent, Tom Condon, asked for a trade. According to Rapoport, the Eagles were “blindsided” by the trade request, but haven’t changed their view that Bradford is their starter, so it will be interesting to see how this stand-off plays out.

10:24am: Contrary to Robinson’s report (noted below), Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that the Eagles have been informed Bradford wants to be traded and won’t be showing up for any more of the club’s offseason program.

8:55am: In the wake of the Eagles’ trade for the No. 2 overall pick, at least one report suggested that Sam Bradford may ask for a trade upon recognizing that his odds of a long-term future with the team had dwindled significantly. However, two sources close to Bradford tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports that the quarterback has not asked to be traded and has no plans to do so.Jan 3, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford (7) prior to the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

According to Robinson, it’s still within the realm of possibility that the Eagles could move Bradford during or after the draft, but the more probable scenario involves the former No. 1 overall pick heading into the 2016 season as the team’s starter. And Bradford intends to embrace that challenge if he remains in Philadelphia, despite being upset about the lost draft assets that could have fortified the roster around him, sources tell Robinson.

Although the Eagles intend to use their No. 2 overall pick on a quarterback – likely Carson Wentz – the plan is to essentially redshirt that QB for his rookie season, so Bradford figures to remain atop the depth chart, with Chase Daniel as his backup.

As Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News observes, Bradford may not have a long-term commitment from the Eagles, but he didn’t have that anyway, even before the trade up to No. 2. Bowen suggests that de facto GM Howie Roseman has no intention of trading Bradford, so the best-case scenario for both sides would be to smooth things over and focus on the incumbent starter having a good season in 2016. In that scenario, the Eagles would have multiple options for 2017, and Bradford could potentially parlay a strong performance into a longer-term deal elsewhere.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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