Sam Bradford: 'At some point, it’s probably not going to be my team'

Sam Bradford learned about the Eagles' trade for the No. 2 draft pick before it was announced on April 20 and was "frustrated" by the news, realizing that his future in Philadelphia would likely be limited. He finished that week of practice before conferring with his agent on April 22 about their strategy.

The Eagles quarterback said he took two weeks away from the team because he needed to clear his head, and that he's "not sure my head really would have been here" if he continued working during that period. The hope was that he would be traded to a better situation, which Bradford said came at the advice of his agent. The trade market dried up and Bradford returned. He found himself back atop the Eagles' depth chart, although he is realistic about where he fits in the team's long-term plans with Carson Wentz on the roster.

"I think if I continue to play at a high level each week on the field, if we continue to win games … I think I will be the starting quarterback and I will be out there," Bradford said Tuesday in his first public comments since his return. "With that being said, I'm not completely naive. I think you realize if the organization made the move to get to \[No.\] 2, at some point, it's probably not going to be my team. But until it's not, I'm going to continue to lead these guys the way I did last year."

Coach Doug Pederson made clear that there's no quarterback competition — "He's the No. 1 guy," Pederson said — and he does not want Bradford looking over his shoulder. Pederson's message to Bradford was to embrace the role and not worry about Wentz behind him.

Bradford said he's not adverse to competition, although he knows the intention of the Eagles' trade for Wentz. He said he does not regret signing the contract when he did, before the Denver Broncos knew their quarterback situation and the Eagles made the trade for the No. 2 overall pick.

When Bradford agreed to his two-year contract on March 1, he acknowledged that it was not a long-term deal. The Eagles made him no promises about what they would do in the draft. In fact, the team was open publicly about its desire to draft and develop a quarterback.

But Bradford hoped when he signed that deal that he would be the team's long-term quarterback, even if his contract carried much of the financial obligation in the first year. That aspiration evaporated after the trade to draft Wentz.

"My goal was to play well for the next two years and create that stability that I've talked about pretty much my whole career," Bradford said. "Philadelphia is the place I wanted to be. I wanted to play well for the next two years, create that stability and then sign a longer-term deal and stay here for the rest of my career."

The locker room has welcomed back Bradford, distinguishing between what's business and what can be perceived as personal. The fans have not been as sympathetic. Bradford is aware of their displeasure. He stays away from social media, but he has been made aware of the ire directed toward him.

"They have every right to be frustrated," Bradford said. "I think the only thing that I can do going forward is to continue to get better and to go out there on Sundays starting in September, play good football, win football games and hopefully win them back. I don't think there's anything I can say. I think it's all about my actions and what I do going forward."

Bradford will not take out any ill will on his new teammate. He remembered the way A.J. Feeley accepted him in St. Louis in 2010, and he said he will help Wentz with whatever the rookie needs. The two quarterbacks met this week.

"I understand what it's like to be in his position," Bradford said. "I'm not going to try to hide anything. I'm going to try to help Carson. If he asks questions, I'm going to give him the best answers that I can. I love seeing quarterbacks succeed in this league and if I can do something to help him become a better player, I'm going to do it."

Bradford said if he did not take this approach, it would be disrespecting the game. He views it as the obligation of older players to help younger players, and the Eagles' apparent succession plan had not changed his mind.

Wentz will sit behind Bradford and Chase Daniel this season, and Pederson said the rookie "still has a long way to go." When asked if Wentz will be interspersed into games the way Donovan McNabb was early in the 1999 season, Pederson said that's hard to say with Daniel as the No. 2.

Pederson used his experience as a quarterback in 1999 when the Eagles drafted McNabb as an example that helps him understand what Bradford might now be feeling. That's why Pederson wanted Bradford to be assured that he's the starter. Bradford just doesn't know for how long.

"I think until that day comes, if it does come, you take the field every day, you continue to work and you continue to get better," Bradford said. "I'm going to continue to lead those guys and be the leader of this football team. And if it happens at the end of the year, if it happens in two years, if it happens whenever, it's something you deal with."