Broncos Inquire About Bradford

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) — Tom Condon already understood the market wasn't exactly bullish on Sam Bradford to begin with but the super agent still managed to get the Eagles to guarantee his client $22 million for 2016.

Now it's clear that Bradford wanted a little more, namely the ability to convince Philadelphia that he could be the long-term answer at the quarterback position.

The Eagles, however, made it clear that Bradford is merely the bridge to the next era of Philadelphia football by trading up to the No. 2 spot on Thursday night to secure either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz.

With the writing on the wall, an unhappy Bradford has requested a trade and informed the Eagles he will not be showing up for any of the team's future voluntary offseason workouts, something confirmed by Condon on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday night.

“Sam is a competitor," Condon claimed. "He wants to go someplace and be the man. He wants to go someplace where he can play for a long time. It’s tough to be a leader when the No. 2 pick is behind him and his teammates are wondering how long he’ll be the quarterback.”

Condon then amplified on how the situation is virtually untenable for Bradford, considering the hype a No. 2 overall pick is going to generate.

“If you’re on a two-year deal and the No. 2 pick is behind you, you better play well,” Condon said. “You’re a short-term guy. Even if you play well. Sam wants to forego that. He has made his wishes known regarding wanting to go someplace else and be there for the rest of his career.”

According to Condon, the Eagles have not yet given Bradford permission to seek a trade but that might change rapidly because expecting a disgruntled QB to mentor the new jewel of the franchise seems like a specious strategy.

Meanwhile, news from Denver claims that the Broncos, who already traded for ex-Bradford backup Mark Sanchez this offseason, have made a phone call in an effort to gauge what the Eagles might want in any potential deal.

Other potential Bradford destinations could be the New York Jets, who are still trying to work things out with free agent Ryan Fitzpatrick, who recorded a franchise-record 31 touchdown passes last season and a reunion with Chip Kelly in San Francisco where the 49ers are currently dealing with the disgruntled Colin Kaepernick.

Take the Niners stuff with a grain of salt, however, because Bradford did not enjoy playing in Kelly's offense here in Philadelphia and even if Kelly pushes from his side, it's hard to imagine Roseman wanting to help his arch enemy out.

If Bradford does end up in another city, however, one thing is certain -- he is not going to be "the man" as Condon asserted, just a different kind of bridge where the future is not as clearly defined as it is in Philadelphia.

After initially making the trade for the No. 2 pick, Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman claimed nothing had changed regarding Bradford, at least for 2016.

“Let me be clear – Sam Bradford is our starting quarterback,” Roseman said. “We’ve told Sam that. We intend to support him, and the moves we’ve made this offseason we believe will give us a chance to compete this season.”

Roseman then doubled down on that thought during an interview with NBC Philadelphia's John Clark earlier Monday.

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973ESPN.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen