Eagles Have Problem on Hands with Bradford

The Eagles have tirelessly worked to obtain the pick that will acquire them a potential franchise quarterback and they took that chance a week ago with the acquisition of the second overall pick last Wednesday.

That left a burning question at quarterback. What about Sam Bradford?

If you asked the Eagles and Howie Roseman, Bradford remained the stop-gap option. The newly signed quarterback had a two-year deal and was considered by Roseman to be the starting quarterback while the team molded the next face of the franchise under a new coaching staff.

But that answer appeared to not be good enough for Bradford, even with an $11 million signing bonus and a $36 million contract. The quarterback officially requested a trade on Monday, creating a problem for the Eagles as they get closer to acquiring the quarterback out of the draft they have desired for some time.

This story starts and ends with the former St. Louis, now Los Angeles, Rams and goes back to Chip Kelly. When Chip Kelly was given the reigns of the GM role, he made his choice at quarterback after a failed attempt to move up to a top pick for a top quarterback prospect then, trading Nick Foles and a second-round pick in 2016 to the Rams for Bradford.

The Eagles had their quarterback then.

But then the Eagles turned in an underwhelming 2015 season, finished 7-9, kicked Kelly to the curb and started to rebuild.

For the most part, what the Eagles have done is admirable and in reality, what they are doing with their first selection in the Draft is understandable and right. They want to build around a quarterback and if this is their best chance at getting a top pick, by all means, you take the risk.

But the timing of the deal comes on the heels of the Rams striking to acquire the top pick and the likelihood that one of the two quarterback prospects will be off the board. The Eagles couldn't wait any longer to pull off the deal, which they made official last Wednesday.

So why is Bradford here? Security.

The Eagles couldn't know with certainty that this opportunity would present itself back on March 1, when the Eagles made a deal with Bradford under the gun of the free agency period. They potentially overpaid for that security, when a trip into the market by Bradford and agent Tom Condon could have indicated much smaller numbers than a two-year, $36 million contract for a quarterback with no notable success at the NFL level and a frightening injury history.

But the Eagles needed to know where they stood at the position, so the focus shifted. Bradford was the No. 1, Chase Daniel was quickly signed as the No. 2 a week later when free agency got underway. 

The Eagles also traded for the No. 8 pick in the Draft, presumably to add to a position of need and to fill the third quarterback slot on the roster in a later round with an up-and-coming prospect.

That's certainly where Bradford's mind was, when the Eagles made headlines with the trade up to No. 2. A quarterback was back in play and the Eagles fully intended on taking one, whether it be Carson Wentz or Jared Goff.

The team all along stood by the stance that Bradford was still the starting quarterback. But for how long?

That was where Bradford's anger came from. A two-year deal with that kind of guaranteed money is starter's money. But what Bradford and Condon didn't see that pretty much every Eagles fan did see was a new coaching staff ready to mold a quarterback, a short-term two-year deal that indicated a change coming soon, one that could alter the franchise's path moving forward.

Whether it's Wentz or Goff, the Eagles future will rest in the hands of that quarterback and sooner rather than later. But however long that takes, that's where Bradford comes into the plans. Only the stunning nature of the trade, the timing of the offseason moves were a shock to Bradford, who now wants out.

Sam Bradford isn't a guy who causes a stir around a team. He won't make headlines for sound bites and isn't going to show up teammates or coaches on the field. But the Eagles now have a problem on their hands two days before they select their quarterback of the future.

See, the way this was supposed to happen was the Eagles were supposed to exhaust every option for the Draft position, then sign Bradford. While the Eagles are not at fault for wanting to get to know as much as they could about every quarterback prospect, they were forced to plan ahead and sign Bradford in addition to Daniel — if Bradford didn't return to be the temporary starter until a prospect was ready, Daniel was the primary offseason target — and see if anything changed between March 1 and the end of April when the Draft hit. 

Six weeks later, they got the deal, but at a cost.

Now they have to figure out what to do with Bradford — honor his request for a trade or find a way to please him despite drafting the future quarterback for the team and having Bradford mentor his replacement. Two days before the Draft, that's not the time when you want to be dealing with a dilemma like this.

Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.