Sam Bradford reportedly demands a trade ... or maybe he doesn’t

All indications are that the Eagles will take a quarterback, either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz, with that selection. It’s possible Bradford is still the starter at least for the upcoming season after he signed a two-year contract extension in March. But the kind of capital the Eagles gave up in the trade makes it seem unlikely Bradford has much of a future with Philadelphia.

Couple that with Bradford’s injury history -- which includes his left ACL being torn twice -- and his future with the team is even more of a question mark. He missed the entire 2014 season with the injury and more than half of the 2013 season. He last played a full 16-game season in 2012 with the Rams.

This does come just hours after a report that suggested Bradford would not ask for a trade from the Eagles from Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. It’s unclear if anything has actually changed in the time between reports, but it’s hard to imagine Bradford much say in things at this stage.

Why Bradford wanting a trade makes sense

Bradford is 28 years old and didn’t play terribly for the Eagles last season. In 14 games, he completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,725 yards with 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. At worst, he’s a below-average starter, but he likely feels he’s quite a bit better than that.

The Eagles gave up give five draft picks to acquire the second overall pick, including the No. 8 selection in this year’s draft and a first-round pick in 2017 draft. As the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Bradford knows as well as anyone that if there’s any kind of competition for the starting job, then there’s little chance the rookie loses it, whether it’s a real competition or not. Bradford, after all, started all 16 games in his rookie season.

On top of that, Bradford was an acquisition under Chip Kelly, who is no longer the head coach. Earlier this offseason, new head coach Doug Pederson brought on free agent Chase Daniel, who doesn’t inspire confidence but who could be a decent veteran to mentor a rookie.

So, the man who worked so hard to acquire him isn’t around anymore and Bradford is looking at a new regime with a team that may not be totally sold on his abilities.

Why Bradford wanting a trade doesn’t make sense

While it seems obvious to most involved that the Eagles will bring in a rookie quarterback, the Eagles are less than two months removed from giving Bradford a two-year contract extension worth $36 million. It’s a sizable commitment for the next two years, and it seems unlikely the Eagles made such a move without considering that they might trade up to get one of the top quarterbacks a month later.

The Eagles may have always planned to roll with Bradford, who still has some upside, while sitting a rookie. Before the pre-draft process really took hold, this was regarded as a weak class at the quarterback position and it might just benefit someone like Wentz, a small-school prospect, to sit behind a veteran for a season.

Kelly may be gone, but Bradford’s extension is at least some kind of vote of confidence. No, they didn’t commit to him long-term, but Bradford might view the Eagles as his best chance to succeed or at the very least, suggesting that he wants to wait and see what happens in the draft isn’t so far-fetched. The Eagles will make the second overall selection in less than a week and surely Bradford can wait that long.

Likelihood 6/10

Bradford is in a tricky situation right now. The Eagles might want him to start for at least one season, but that’s still just one season. They also might not want him at all, and who knows what is and is not being said behind the scenes.

The situation is up in the air with just a few days left before the draft begins. The thought that Bradford might consider “take a step back and see what’s happening here” the best solution isn’t a crazy one. Playing hardball with the Eagles would serve the purpose of letting them know he’s serious. But nothing is certain by any stretch of the imagination.