In a Wednesday appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, agent Tom Condon confirmed that the goal was to place Bradford in Denver once the Philadelphia Eaglestraded up with the intention of drafting Carson Wentz at No. 2 overall last month.
"We thought we had a chance to go to a really good football team and be there for a long time," Condon explained. "And that opportunity was there and actually the attempt was made.
It's certainly not unusual for NFL teams to exercise leverage when they boast it. With his future ostensibly blocked in Philadelphia, Bradford went for a leverage grab of his own, attempting to parlay Denver's quarterback vacancy into increased job security and a chance to join a perennial playoff contender.
The Broncos called Philadelphia for a very basic discussion about Bradford's availability, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported prior to the draft, but the Eagles decided to hold onto the sixth-year veteran.
With Bradford off the table, Broncos general manager John Elway found his quarterback of the future by trading up for Memphis star Paxton Lynch late in the draft's first round.
Once Denver's quarterback vacancy was filled, Bradford had little recourse but to report back to Philadelphia with the intention of holding off Wentz and Chase Daniel for the 2016 starting job.
