Philadelphia Eagles Should Demand No Less Than A First-Round Pick For Sam Bradford

A good test of the character of any individual is to count how many times that person says the words  “I and me” versus  “we and us,” and Sam Bradford of the Philadelphia Eagles failed that test earlier this week by demanding a trade. The Eagles said they will draft a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick, probably Carson Wentz of North Dakota State, and that did not sit well with Bradford.

No one counted the times Bradford told agent Tom Condon “I and me” during the conversation that led to the demand, but we can assume it was a lot. The words “we and us” probably did not come up. Now Bradford is saying he will not attend the optional team workouts and Condon is saying the Eagles did not grant his request to negotiate a trade. The Eagles have perfectly good reasons for that, but to teach Bradford and his agent a lesson the team should grant that with one condition—a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft. That achieves two purposes, setting a two-day time limit and showing both agent and client how impossible it is to trade someone who signed for two years and $35 million. No team would offer a first-rounder for that; the best the Eagles can hope for is a second-round pick and that would be an insult to a team that invested so much into an oft-injured quarterback.

One would think both Condon and Bradford would know that, but by merely requesting a trade, it suggests they are a little out of touch. Bradford is guaranteed $22 million, and the Eagles are on the hook for a signing bonus of $11 million even with a trade. No second-round pick in the history of the NFL is worth that.

The sooner both Bradford and his agent understand that, the better off those two will be. If Bradford changes course and attends the workouts with a “we and us” attitude, the brighter his future will be, even if the long-term part of it is not with the Eagles.