The Philadelphia Eagles Are Sticking To Their Guns, For Now

It didn’t take long for this Sam Bradford holdout to turn into high school like drama.

According to Sal Paolantonio of ESPN, Bradford is not returning Doug Pederson’s phone calls. Bradford is playing the role of the jealous, stubborn girlfriend, while Pederson is looking to apologize after falling in love with Carson Wentz.

If Chip Kelly were still in charge of the Philadelphia Eagles’ personnel department, Bradford’s bags would have already been packed. He would be alongside his agent, Tom Condon, on a couch in Oklahoma watching highlight tape from his Heisman trophy winning year at college

Last year, guard Evan Mathis wanted to restructure his contract after a Pro-Bowl season, and he was released the week before mandatory training after he skipped the offseason voluntary workouts.

It’s odd how much changes in a year. With Kelly’s “My way or the highway’s” philosophy long gone, Howie Roseman, the executive vice president of football operations is doing the exact opposite.

In a press conference after the Eagles selected Wentz out of North Dakota State University with the No.2 overall pick, Roseman and Pederson made their stance clear on Bradford once again.

“No,” Roseman said when asked if he’s considering to deal Bradford. “Sam’s our quarterback and we’ve been clear about that from the first time we had this conversation.”

Pederson reiterated this stance towards the end of the press conference.

“Sam’s our guy,” Pederson told reporters. “We’re going forward with Sam Bradford. And just welcome him back when he gets here and we’re ready to go.”

Except, both statements left out the word “temporary.” Bradford is the “temporary guy,” even though Roseman and Pederson want him to play this season to stay competitive.

And now with the Broncos drafting Paxton Lynch out of Memphis University, they’re out of trade talks with the Eagles, according to ESPN. There was never a market for Bradford, until John Elway was curious about the asking price.

Elway backed off after the Eagles were asking for too much, but it’s hard to accept he wouldn’t still be interested. Lynch, who’s game is very raw and needs development, may pay off in the long run, and I’m not convinced they’re comfortable with starting the regular season off with Mark Sanchez.

The Eagles are sticking to their guns for now, however, I believe they will be listening to calls for Bradford until mandatory camp starts on June 7.

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Until Bradford is dealt the Birds have created an uncomfortable logjam at the quarterback position. And if he does show up, how will this go down in the locker room?

Did Roseman underestimate how Bradford would react to his move up the draft board? Absolutely. But why did they do it?

The reason is simple; the Eagles don’t believe they can surround Bradford with enough assets to be an elite team.

Whereas they believe Wentz is a franchise quarterback.

“One player can change your team,” Roseman told reporters. “And for us, we know how important that is, that position. So investing in that position was a no brainer when we looked at it.”

Although there’s been obvious problems between Bradford and the Eagles, it’s only April. Maybe he comes to his senses and realizes Condon unnecessarily dramatized the situation.

And if does decide to return, they’ll be waiting.

“Whenever he comes back, we’ll welcome him with open arms, it’s the voluntary period of the offseason,” Roseman said.

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