Latest On Sam Bradford, Trade Request
After a report surfaced on Monday suggesting that Sam Bradford – or his agent – had asked for a trade out of Philadelphia, agent Tom Condon appeared on SiriusXM NFL Radio confirming as much. According to Condon, the Eagles haven’t given him permission to seek out possible trades for Bradford, and his client won’t be at voluntary workouts (Twitter link via Alex Marvez of FOX Sports).
As Condon explained, Bradford was “very happy” with the contract he signed in March with the Eagles, but became less thrilled about his situation when the team also added Chase Daniel and traded for the No. 2 overall pick (Twitter link via SiriusXM NFL Radio).
“From our perspective… Sam wants the opportunity to try to go some place and not only be the starter, but be the starter there long-term,” Condon said, per Josh Paunil of PhillyMag.com. “He doesn’t view himself as somebody that’s a stop-gap kind of quarterback and he wants to go some place and take a chance on being with a team for a long time and I can’t blame him for that.”
Here’s more on the Bradford situation, which we’ll be monitoring closely this week:
- As we heard yesterday, in spite of Bradford’s trade request, the Eagles aren’t seriously considering trading the former first overall pick, a source tells Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Of course, in these situations, a team is generally always willing to trade the player if the price is right, but the Eagles appear just as willing to move forward with Bradford on the roster.
- The Bills and Browns were among the teams to express interest in Bradford last year, and could join the Broncos among the potential landing spots for the veteran signal-caller if the Eagles do decide to make a move, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). As Cole notes, the $11MM signing bonus that was part of Bradford’s new contract makes a potential trade very tricky for the Eagles, since it will be hard to extract fair value.
- Mike Klis of 9NEWS is extremely skeptical that the 49ers will become a viable suitor for Bradford, suggesting (via Twitter) that Howie Roseman would have no interest in helping Chip Kelly.
Browns Interested In Texas State OT
- The Broncos, Browns, Raiders, Jets, and Panthers are evaluating Texas State offensive tackle Adrian Bellard as a Day 3 draft target, Wilson tweets.
Browns Sign WR Saalim Hakim
- The Browns announced that they have signed wide receiver Saalim Hakim, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal tweets. Hakim participated in voluntary minicamp last week with Cleveland on a tryout basis and apparently made a strong impression on team brass. Hakim originally entered the league as a UDFA with Dallas in 2012.
Browns Not High Enough On Goff, Wentz To Stay Put At No. 2
- In her latest mailbag, Mary Kat Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer says that the Browns and head coach Hue Jackson were simply not high enough on Jared Goff or Carson Wentz to justify staying put with the No. 2 overall selection, particularly when the Eagles’ presented them with a bounty of draft picks that they could not refuse. Jackson has indicated he might like another quarterback just as much or more than Goff and Wentz, and Cleveland will stockpile talent until it can justify pulling the trigger on that particular signal-caller.
Cabot: Could Browns Move Back Again?
- Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan visited the Browns, Chargers and Ravens, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. The Eagles, Buccaneers, Titans and Raiders also visited the signal-caller at school.
- The Browns have a variety of holes on their roster, leading Mary Kay Cabot to write that the team could trade back again. After having dealt the second-overall pick to the Eagles, Cabot believes the organization could use the eighth selection to acquire more picks.
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Browns Eyeing Jack Conklin
- Conklin is a popular name in the top half of Round 1, as Pauline reports that the Browns are interested in the Michigan State product with the eighth pick. Conklin would act as a replacement for Mitchell Schwartz, who departed via free agency, at right tackle.
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RG3 Working With QB Coach
- Robert Griffin III’s offseason training with throwing guru Tom House is going well so far, the Browns quarterback said Thursday. “Tom House has been great. It’s been a really, really beneficial experience,” Griffin stated (link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal). House, an ex-Major League Baseball pitcher who uses 3-D motions analysis to dissect a QB’s throwing motion and then revamps it, has worked with the likes of Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Andy Dalton and Carson Palmer in the past. He spent a large portion of last offseason with Dalton, who went on to have a career year. On whether he’ll continue training with House, Griffin said, “Without a doubt. It’s not just a one-off thing. It’s a lifestyle. I plan on living that lifestyle.”
DePodesta Will Only Observe At Draft
Paul DePodesta won’t be making any calls on draft day, as Mark Dominik of ESPN.com hears that DePodesta will serve only in an observational role for the Browns as he continues to learn about the NFL (Twitter link via Alex Marvez of FOX Sports). DePodesta, of course, comes from Major League Baseball, and with less than six months on the job it’s perhaps not surprising that he won’t be intimately involved in the draft day process.
- There’s another wrinkle to the trade that saw the Eagles acquire the No. 2 overall pick —the 2017 fifth-rounder headed to Philadelphia from the Browns is conditional, per Andrew Siciliano of NFL.com (Twitter link). If the Browns get a fourth-round compensatory pick (as is expected), that selection will instead go to Philadelphia.
Browns Met With Miles Killebrew
- Southern Utah safety Miles Killebrew had a private workout with Buccaneers secondary coach Brett Maxie, according to Jenna Laine (Twitter link). Killebrew has had a busy schedule, as he’s had workouts with the Patriots, Cardinals, Titans, Panthers, and Browns, per Laine (Twitter link).
Burke: Browns Won Eagles Trade
- Free agent tight end Chase Ford said he hasn’t heard from the Vikings, the club with whom he spent 2013-14, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Ford has had a busy six months or so — the Ravens signed him in November, but then waived him earlier this month after offering him an RFA tender. The Browns claimed Ford, but similarly waived him just a week later.
- Using the concept of surplus value, Brian Burke of ESPN.com declares the Browns the winner of last week’s draft pick trade with the Eagles.