There is and has been a resentment of the Eagles front office and Jeffrey Lurie over the team's operating procedures, specifically in the Reid era, though never has it been inflamed to the degree it was over the weekend. We were all wondering how this could happen, and most naturally jumped to the conclusion the Dawkins mess was entirely the club's fault. I'm not sure what it would have taken to come to terms, but I do know this: the one person who very few people consider to be at fault for this is Dawkins himself.
Let's try to detach the word "blame" from fault, because I'm certainly not blaming Dawkins for leaving. Football is his job, and most of us would quit ours if we could do the same thing for more money and better benefits, so I don't begrudge him for doing the same, but saying he doesn't assume any fault for his departure is inaccurate. The Eagles made an offer, then they countered Denver's offer. We know for a fact whatever it was, it was inadequate compared to deal he signed, though how could it not be? Five years and $7 million guaranteed is a lot for a 36-year-old in the NFL.
Yes, the deal can be voided after two years and it would essentially pay him $9 million. Do you realize that's still more money annually than the last contract he signed in 2006? And Dawkins knows what that contract says. He obviously believes he could still be playing at a high level for longer than any of us are willing to rationally accept. The Broncos will keep a reasonably priced safety on the books for as much time as he is a serviceable player, and if amazingly enough he can still do the things he is capable of today, it's not just a two year stint.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Though we all know that won't happen, which is why so many people are hung up on "it's just a two year deal." Nobody expects Dawkins to be worth a damn at that point, and then we want him to retire. He clearly has other plans. In fact, he's made it perfectly clear he wants to be on the field every Sunday for as long as he has the opportunity to play the game. Even he probably understands maybe that is only two years from now, however that's not the way he feels today.
Meanwhile, the Eagles did what they always do. They made the cold and unpopular yet calculated decision to part with an aging veteran who, at least in their system, could still bring it like a Pro Bowler. At the same time, those decisions nearly 100% of the time have been the right moves, making this one increasingly difficult to doubt. By extending any offer at all, the front office recognizes in the short term there will be a hole left by the departure of Dawkins, both at free safety and in the locker room. When it came down to it though, they could not commit to anything beyond this season because he's simply at that point in his career.
I'm broken up about it, but can't get angry because there are two sides to it. Brian Dawkins doesn't need the money, and he took it. He took it because it was guaranteed, because he knew it was the last contract he'd ever have to negotiate, and because it's a matter of respect in the NFL. No one blames him for that, while the fact remains and will always be he's the one who ultimately chose to leave, and sad as it is, we had to let him go.