The Eagles selected Carson Wentz with the No. 2 pick earlier tonight, but he’s not the only quarterback on the Philadelphia roster in the news. Sam Bradford, unhappy with the drafting of Wentz, has requested a trade, but according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link), Eagles de facto GM Howie Roseman and head coach Doug Pederson say the club will not honor that request.
After rumors surfaced last week that Bradford would ask for at trade, news broke Monday that the veteran quarterback had officially requested to be dealt out of Philadelphia. The Broncos reportedly inquired on Bradford, who has not been attending voluntary Eagles workouts, but Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier today that Denver was moving on, as the Broncos don’t believe that Philadelphia is likely to trade Bradford to any team — that sentiment, it appears, has been borne out.
Bradford agreed to a two-year deal worth $35MM in March that includes $22MM in guarantees. But because of the structure of the contract, any team that acquired Bradford would only be on the hook for his $7MM base salary in 2016, before becoming responsible for his $17MM cap charge in 2017. I explored a few potential fits for Bradford earlier this week, identifying the Broncos, Jets, and Bills as landing spots.
If he isn’t dealt, Bradford is likely to open the 2016 season as the Eagles’ starting quarterback, giving Wentz more time to develop. Of course, while the statement from Philadelphia management sounds official, it’s hard to completely rule out posturing — until Bradford is under center in Week 1, his status with the Eagles figures to be a hot topic.