At one level, Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford going public (through his agent) with a desire to be traded could make it harder to force a deal, since it reduces Philly’s leverage by making the whole thing a mess. At a deeper level, perhaps Bradford’s agent has decided that taking a public stand is the best way to soften things up for a trade.
Case in point: The Eagles apparently have opened negotiations by taking a hard line.
Mike Klis of 9News.com reports, citing a “prominent NFL source” (I won’t speculate on who that may be, but I can’t stop the audience from doing it) that the Broncos reached out to the Eagles about a trade for Bradford, and that the asking price was too high.
It’s important to note that the Eagles didn’t laugh and hang up the phone. They articulated a price. It was just too much.
So what’s the best way to force the price down? Back Philly into a corner by taking the fight public, perhaps.
The high road sometimes doesn’t get to the preferred destination. Eventually, the low road becomes the only option. That’s quite possibly why Condon has decided to tell the world that Bradford wants out -- and it’s quite possibly why Bradford is now committed to staying away from voluntary workouts.
The question becomes whether the Eagles will stay on the high road, or whether they’ll resort to the low road, too. It may not be the smoothest way to head into the 2016 season, but it may be the best way to remind everyone in the locker room that the days of getting a one-way ticket out of town by not “buying in” are over.