Sam Bradford says he’s ‘committed to Eagles,’ but for how long?
The quarterback who demanded a trade is now reportedly rejoining his teammates at a place where none of them technically have to be.
Ah yes, the strange saga of Sam Bradford. After telling Philadelphia Eagles management that he no longer wanted to be in their employ — after receiving a sizeable chunk of change — Bradford reportedly will return to the team’s voluntary workouts. So says teammate Connor Barwin on WIP Radio, via Jeff McLane, and we now have a partial explanation why he might come back now as opposed to later.
So that last sentence is the best part. Basically, Bradford is coming back — for now. This after he refused to pick up the phone when management tried to call him. Bradford released a statement about his return to the team — and says he’s all in (again).
Will he show up next week for the OTAs, the part he’s contractually supposed to be at? Well, he says he will … but there will be media there! Unlike these voluntary workouts, which are not attended by media. That gives you an idea of how strange this all is, although if Bradford and his reps believe being there could help ease things over and grease the wheels for a trade, perhaps he will stick to his word and show.
This thing is still far from over. Although the Eagles have steadfastly paried Bradford’s threats to this point and refused to trade him, and even though Bradford’s statement sounds like he’s waving a white flag here, it’s hard to envision a smooth ending to all of this.
Will there be any business-is-business sympathy from his teammates? Will they welcome him back? That might require them forgetting that he tried to force a trade to the Denver Broncos (or wherever) and is only coming back now that his options dried up and that, well, Bradford would like to earn all that money for which he signed with the Eagles.
Someone will come calling when their quarterback situation turns ugly and throw Bradford a lifeline. Likewise, the Eagles — as badly as they want to get something for their money — also don’t want to poison the well for a first-year head coach in Doug Pederson, who is trying to establish something there, and the No. 2 overall pick, Carson Wentz, who is getting a firsthand look at the dark side of the business in his first few weeks in the NFL.
Bradford is back. But how much means remains to be seen. It could even be a flip of the bird to the Birds — “I’ll come back for the part I don’t have to come back for,” in essence. And wouldn’t it be rich if Chip Kelly told the San Francisco 49ers he wanted his former QB in San Francisco? It would be another weird reminder of the wild past few years there.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
