Sam Bradford doesn’t seem to have many allies these days. He’s been bashed by past NFL players for apparently wanting a trade from the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann has thrown his hat in the ring, taking dead aim at the Eagles signal caller on SiriusXM NFL Radio show.
“I cannot believe what Sam Bradford is doing with the Philadelphia Eagles,” Theismann said, as transcribed by Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation. “The impression that I get is that this guy here doesn’t want to compete. He’s not interested in playing quarterback. He’s not interested in competing at the quarterback position. He wants it handed to him on a silver platter. Well that’s not the way life is. The Eagles owed him no explanation. And if you think you’re that good, you should be able to beat out a rookie who has no earthly idea what the NFL looks like.”
Okay, to an extent, Theismann is right. The last thing anyone wants from an NFL player is someone who doesn’t want to compete. It’s even worse when a player like Bradford earns that perception, as he doesn’t have a great track record in the NFL. Remember, even Joe Montana had to compete for his job when he was winning Super Bowls and MVP awards with the San Francisco 49ers.
But there’s another point here that Theismann seems to be missing. Bradford was a free agent during this offseason. He could have signed anywhere. He signed with the Eagles before they traded for the No. 2 spot, which all but guaranteed that they’d draft either Carson Wentz or Jared Goff.
We’ll never know what went on in negotiations, but we can probably assume that Bradford signed back with Philadelphia with some thought that he’d be in the team’s long-term plans. The selection of Wentz all but eliminates Bradford’s playing time following the 2016 season.
Bradford isn’t just a quarterback that ran a losing team and is now being replaced. Yes, he did run a losing team, but the Eagles also obviously wanted him back.
Nobody should want a quarterback that doesn’t want to compete. But Theismann saying that he “cannot believe what Sam Bradford is doing” in Philadelphia is also shortsighted.