The Philadelphia Eagles are not expected to deal away quarterback Sam Bradford, who officially asked for a trade this week.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Denver Broncos—a team in need of a quarterback—do not believe the Eagles will trade Bradford.
Denver does not expect Philadelphia to trade Sam Bradford to Broncos or to any team, per sources. Broncos now mulling other QB options.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 28, 2016
Bradford, who signed a two-year deal with the Eagles in March, asked to be traded after Philadelphia moved up to the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft. The selection is expected to be North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz.
The Eagles holding firm on keeping Bradford makes perfect sense.
Philadelphia already paid the quarterback an $11 million signing bonus, and without Bradford in the picture, the Eagles’ long-term plans at quarterback begin to crumble.
Ideally, Philadelphia would draft Wentz and sit him behind Bradford and backup Chase Daniel for at least a year before handing him the keys to the franchise.
It’s a tough timeline for Bradford to swallow, but he’s making $35 million over the next two years—including $22 million in 2016—and his shaky past, which includes injuries and a career passer rating of just 81.0—doesn’t exactly protect him from any team making him nothing more than a short-term solution.
Also, Bradford sacrificed any kind of long-term security in Philadelphia when he put his signature on a front-loaded, two-year deal.
In the end, the Eagles hold all the leverage on the situation. Bradford’s best bet is still to stay in Philadelphia and play exceedingly well during his guaranteed year as a starter. By the end of 2016, he could find many different options to secure the job he wants elsewhere.
The Eagles aren’t paying Bradford $11 million in 2016 to play for a different team. He’ll be in Philadelphia—with Wentz looking over his shoulder—whether he likes it or not.
