The agent for Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford says he’s angry because they didn’t tell him their plans to draft a franchise quarterback. But Eagles coach Doug Pederson says Bradford was told in advance that part of his job would be grooming a rookie quarterback.
Sal Paolantonio reported today on Mike & Mike that he talked to Pederson, and that Pederson relayed the conversations he had with Bradford. Pederson claims he told Bradford all along that he’d be sharing the quarterback room with a rookie.
“He told me that he told Bradford and Chase Daniel up front that they were going to draft a quarterback, and they were going to try to nurture him for the future, and they expected Bradford and Daniel to be part of that, but that this year Bradford would be the starter,” Paolantonio said. “And they were shocked when they told Bradford that they were going up to No. 2 and they were making the trade and investing five picks, and Bradford’s reaction was one of anger, and he abruptly walked out of the offseason training program.”
Paolantonio also reported that Pederson tried to reach out to Bradford, but Bradford is ignoring texts from Pederson, other Eagles coaches and the front office.
It’s possible that Pederson is telling the truth but something got lost in the discussion: Perhaps Pederson told Bradford that the Eagles would draft a quarterback, but Bradford interpreted that as meaning a late-round quarterback, not a No. 2 overall pick who’s clearly expected to become the franchise quarterback by 2017.
Either way, however, Bradford signed a contract to play for the Eagles this year and accepted an $11 million signing bonus as part of the deal. Whether Bradford likes it or not, he’s teammates with Wentz. It would probably be wise to stop pouting, and start trying to prove himself good enough to keep Wentz on the bench.