Sam Bradford overestimates worth; what now?

Sam Bradford's two-week holdout represented a recent overestimation of worth equaled only by Ted Cruz naming Carly Fiorina as his running mate less than a week before he bowed out of the Republican primary.

Bradford's state of delusion lasted slightly longer. The Eagles quarterback reported to voluntary workouts Monday, two weeks after his agent, Tom Condon, requested that his client be traded.

Upset that the Eagles had traded up in the draft for Carson Wentz, Bradford had Condon wage a public campaign that garnered not only few trade offers but also little sympathy for the 28-year-old. It would be like trying to sell Cruz's delegates to Donald Trump during the Republican National Convention.

Who would want a historically average quarterback who would cost far more than his actual value because the Eagles would need compensation to offset an $11 million salary-cap hit? No one. The Broncos inquired but said the Eagles' demands were too rich.

Condon likely saw the futility of Bradford's stance. There's little chance that an agent as experienced and nuanced as Condon was the one pulling the strings on the trade request, as Howie Roseman suggested last week. Roseman probably was trying to deflect blame from Bradford.

The Eagles deserve their share of blame, but it pales in comparison to Bradford, who let the personal supersede what was ultimately a business decision.

"I'm excited to be back on the field today with my teammates and coaches," Bradford said in a statement. "The business side of football is sometimes a necessary consideration. My attention and efforts are focused on the participation in and preparation for a championship season.

"I am committed to my teammates and the Eagles organization for nothing less."

Bradford finally woke up from his two-week Walter Mitty moment and made a sound decision by showing up at the NovaCare Complex a week before the more formal organized team activities begin. By doing so, he avoided a media maelstrom.

He will have some explaining to do, but he has a week before there is media access. That should give him time to transition back into the fold and clear the air with his coaches and teammates — if the air is, in fact, sullied.

There will be some hand-wringing from those outside the NovaCare about the damage done — both in the locker room and with Eagles fans — but it's not as if Bradford was especially popular with either group. If he plays well, he'll have support; if he doesn't, he won't. No different from before his holdout.

But it is fair to question how the ordeal will affect Bradford's performance and, more important, the chemistry in the quarterback room. It's difficult to take his word about being focused on the season when he allowed the Eagles' trade to cloud his vision.

He signed a two-year, $35 million contract with $22 million guaranteed — a deal the Eagles essentially can get out of after a one-year, $18 million commitment — and actually thought that promised him long-term security?

Bradford has a career 25-37-1 record as a starter. He has missed 33 games over six years because of injuries. He played poorly in the first half of last season and better in the second half. But if there were other teams clamoring for his services had he reached free agency, Condon would have never negotiated another "show-me" deal.

If the Eagles had promised him more, then one could partly understand Bradford's beef. He had a natural reaction when he realized he was no longer part of the team's future. But he was naive to believe anything the Eagles told him because the contract said otherwise.

And the Eagles had made it very clear they were drafting a quarterback. The No. 2 overall pick is much different from a third-day prospect, but if the media were writing Wentz-possibly-to-Eagles stories as early as January, Bradford and Condon shouldn't have been surprised when it actually happened.

The Eagles, obviously, underestimated the effect the trade would have on Bradford's psyche. He had almost no logical reason to have his reaction, but it is one for which the Eagles must bear some responsibility.

Doug Pederson's first offseason as coach has already been tarred. And now he has to massage a quarterback room that won't likely be harmonious. But that's what happens when you devote more money to the position — approximately $40 million to three players — than any other NFL team.

Backup Chase Daniel was reportedly promised the opportunity to start despite the Eagles' claim that Bradford was the bona fide No. 1. How does he feel about Bradford's power play? He knows Pederson's system far better than any other quarterback on the roster.

Pederson and Roseman said throughout the last two weeks that Bradford remains the starter. And he will likely keep that job through training camp and the preseason. They didn't pay him that much to have him sit. But is the hook any shorter once the season starts? Will his teammates lose faith in him faster now than before his holdout?

The Eagles clearly don't want to rush Wentz. He's walking into an unstable situation that is not of his doing. Even if Bradford gives him the cold shoulder — as other quarterbacks in similar scenarios have done — it shouldn't have any bearing on his development.

If Wentz is who the Eagles think he is, it should be merely a distraction. He is the presumptive franchise quarterback. Bradford's candidacy was never more than cursory. It's fair to question why the Eagles even brought him back in the first place.

But their vote of confidence was meager.

Bradford read the polls all wrong.