Carson Wentz era begins for Eagles as Bradford stays away

PHILADELPHIA – The first phase of the Eagles’ plan to develop a quarterback while remaining competitive came into place Thursday night when they selected North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz with the second overall pick in the NFL draft.

There was jubilation both from Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman and head coach Doug Pederson. Roseman, after all, got to draft his franchise quarterback, something the Eagles haven’t had since that Easter trade of Donovan McNabb in 2010.

Pederson, meanwhile, a first-time head coach, gets a quarterback he can develop to fit his system.

They both said that Wentz was the guy they wanted all along, and that they had a pretty good idea that the Los Angeles Rams were going to take California quarterback Jared Goff with the first pick, which they did.

Now, they can develop Wentz after giving up five draft choices to get him — their first, third and fourth-round picks this season, their first-rounder in 2017 and second-rounder in 2018. That’s a big price for a future franchise quarterback, so they have to get this right. That’s why the plan was for Wentz to watch and learn from starter Sam Bradford and backup Chase Daniel.

“There’s really no need [to rush Wentz],” Pederson said. “You’ve got two veterans guys who can teach, especially with Chase … It’s going to be a great dynamic. It’s going to fun to watch.”

Here is where the second part of the plan — the actual development of the future franchise quarterback — can fall apart faster than Wentz’s 4.77 time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in February: Bradford didn’t exactly welcome the news last week that the Eagles had traded up to the No. 2 pick in order to draft his successor.

Bradford, for now anyway, isn’t going along with the plan to play the good soldier, lead the Eagles to the playoffs this season, then move aside and take his millions elsewhere as Wentz takes over.

Eagles' draft success rests in Roseman's hands

Bradford, through his agent, Tom Condon, said he wants to be traded, and that he won’t report to the Eagles’ offseason workouts. Roseman reiterated Thursday that he’s not going to trade Bradford and that Bradford will be the starting quarterback for this season.

The Eagles, of course, are implementing a new offense under Pederson, so learning it during the spring is not only valuable to a rookie like Wentz, but for a veteran like Bradford, who played in Chip Kelly’s uptempo offense last season.

Roseman and Pederson didn’t seem worried that Bradford would sabotage those plans just because the Eagles won’t commit to Bradford beyond the two-year extension he signed worth a guaranteed $22 million in March.

“Whenever he comes back, we’ll welcome him with open arms,” Roseman said about Bradford. “It’s the voluntary period of the offseason, so players have the right [to stay away].”

Roseman was then asked if he’s disappointed in Bradford’s reaction.

“I think, first of all, this is about Carson today,” he said. “We just picked the kid second overall. That’s where our focus is — the fact that we got Carson Wentz.”

But they’ll have to worry about it soon enough.

Will Bradford give Wentz the silent treatment, or will he go out of his way to help him along? And will Bradford get the other veterans to turn against Wentz? That is, unless the veterans turn against Bradford for his reaction?

And will all of that be uncomfortable for Wentz?

“I don’t think so,” Wentz said. “I’m not really sure how it will transpire. I’ve been an Eagle now for about an hour, so we’ll see how that transpires. It’s out of my control. I’m not going to worry about it. It’ll all work itself out.”

Wentz was then asked how he’ll handle his first meeting with Bradford.

“Professionally,” he replied. “I think we’re both professionals now. It’ll be what it is. I won’t make it bigger than it has to be. I’m just going to go in there and focus on what I can control, and learning as much ball as I can as quick as I can.”

For his part, Pederson spent most of his career as a backup to Brett Favre in Green Bay. So it’s no wonder that Pederson compared Wentz to Favre in his aggressive nature and his willingness to take risks on the field.

But Pederson also saw another side of Favre when the Packers would draft a quarterback nearly every year while they were in Green Bay. That included Aaron Rodgers in the first round in 2005. Favre held Rodgers off for three seasons.

That’s why Pederson seemed taken aback at Bradford’s reaction when he was asked if he had ever seen a quarterback demand a trade rather than compete to keep his job.

“I have not personally,” Pederson said. “This is my first go-around. I didn’t see it as a player. I didn’t have these situations. But, hey, listen, at the end of the day, it’s competition. Sam is our guy and we’ll move forward with Sam Bradford and just welcome him back when he gets here and we’re ready to go.”

If it were only that simple.

 Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.