The Facts: Bradford says he stayed away from the team for two weeks because he needed to collect his thoughts after the Eagles traded up to the No. 2 overall pick to select its quarterback of the future, Carson Wentz. "I just felt like I needed some time. I could have stayed here, could have continued to work here, but I'm not sure my head really would have been here those two weeks," Bradford said Tuesday, in his first public comments since the drama created by his attempt to orchestrate a trade.
Diehards Line:
Bradford says he realizes that the starting job isn’t promised to him in perpetuity, but he had hoped when he signed a two-year contract in March that he could be the starter for years to come. That no longer appears likely, as Wentz is expected to be the future of the franchise. “There’s no promises in this business,” Bradford said. “It wasn’t a long-term deal. It was a two-year deal. I was well aware of that. ...” Bradford is the Eagles’ starting quarterback right now, but he knows Wentz is likely to supplant him at some point. “I’m not completely naive,” Bradford said. “If the organization made a move to No. 2, you realize that at some point, it’s not going to be my team. ..." Still, HC Doug Pederson repeated what the Eagles have said all along. “My feelings haven’t changed,” Pederson said. “He’s my guy. He’s the No. 1 guy. I just want him to embrace that. ... I expect Sam to not look over his shoulder. I expect Sam to look forward. … That is the message I gave him.” Chase Daniel worked with the second team Tuesday, Wentz took snaps with the third and Pederson said they took equal reps which meant Wentz got a bit more work than No. 3 quarterbacks might get with other teams. Based on Pederson’s comments, that should remain the pecking order unless Bradford’s hurt or his play suffers from peeking in the rearview mirror.