May 17, 2016
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford met with media for the first time Tuesday since requesting a trade following his team's decision to trade up to the No. 2 pick in last month's draft and select Carson Wentz.
And according to the 28-year-old quarterback, none of this was his idea.
While Bradford did admit that he needed to step away for a few weeks to get his head right, he said the idea of requesting a trade was not his own. That advice came from his agent, Tom Condon.
“Tom Condon’s been my agent for my entire career and he’s a guy that I really trust," Bradford said when asked why he ultimately decided to seek employment elsewhere. "At the time, when we were going through this process, he felt like [requesting a trade] was the best option for me. I trust him and that he has my best interest at heart. I’m always going to follow his advice.”
But Condon didn't just advise Bradford to request a trade. He was the one who suggested in the first place.
“Yes [it was Condon's idea]," the quarterback said when asked to clarify, a statement he again clarified later in the press conference. "I mean, obviously, we talked about it but he’s the one who’s really kind of my go-to in that situation. And he felt it would be best and that’s who I believe in.”
To hear Bradford's timeline of how everything went down, it doesn't seem like the former Heisman winner and No. 1-overall pick would have sought a trade had it not been for a phone call from his agent.
“I think I was told [of the trade up to the No. 2 pick] on Wednesday, and we were in the middle of our veteran mini-camp," Bradford said. "So I was told on Wednesday and then came back and participated in the practice on Thursday. And then I believe on Friday is when Tom called me and said he thought we needed to take some action.”
"There’s a reason I have an agent," Bradford added. "Obviously, he’s been through these before. If I didn’t need an agent, I wouldn’t have one; I wouldn’t listen to one. But he’s someone I really trust and I feel like he’s seen these things before."
Even still, Bradford is in no way beholden to the advice of his agent. Condon works for Bradford, not the other way around. So the Eagles quarterback had to at least be on board with what his agent was selling.
So why didn't he just push back and tell Condon that he would rather just tough it out in Philadelphia?
It's hard to tell entirely because we don't know exactly what Condon was telling his client. Was he promising a successful deal to Denver or, at the very least, at least somewhere other than Philly? And agents tend to be very convincing. It's what they do for a living.
But that's only part of the reason Bradford was willing to go along with his agent's plan “take some action.” He already told us the other reason: trust.
“I think it kind of goes back to what I said earlier. There’s a reason I have an agent," Bradford added. "Obviously, he’s been through these before. If I didn’t need an agent, I wouldn’t have one; I wouldn’t listen to one. But he’s someone I really trust and I feel like he’s seen these things before.
"And I’m always going to follow his advice."
Even after this whole debacle, Bradford still has faith in his agent -- perhaps because he doesn't think the decision to demand a trade was the wrong one, despite public opinion suggesting otherwise.
The very last question -- and, of course answer -- for the Eagles quarterback revealed as much.
Any regrets about the stand that you took at this point?
"No."
