Sheldon Brown Is Playing a Dangerous Game
Uh oh! Here we go again. Sheldon Brown wants to be traded. Pro Football Weekly just reported the Eagles‘ response to Brown’s trade demands:
"“It’s very unfortunate and counterproductive that Sheldon has chosen to go public with his feelings about his situation. After thorough evaluation by himself and discussions with his family and agents, he chose to accept an extension of his rookie contract early that provided his family financial security for the rest of his life. It removed any concerns about health or performance that all other players in his draft class had to worry about. He has three years remaining on that contract and, after taking the signing bonus and his first two years of salary into account, we feel that Sheldon is being paid fairly. Focusing only on a player’s salary for a given year is not a valid analysis.”"
Doesn’t sound very accommodating. There’s more:
"“There have been league MVPs, Super Bowl champion quarterbacks, and perennial Pro Bowlers who have been in a similar situation. All of their teams have required them to wait until their contract expired or there was only one year remaining before any adjustment took place. It is only in the most extraordinary, in fact, less than a handful of circumstances in the last ten years that any players two new years into a contract with three years left have been adjusted. We don’t think this qualifies as an extraordinary circumstance.”"
Not “extraordinary.” Yikes! Finally, there is this:
"“Sheldon’s comments under the circumstances actually serve to devalue him in a trade if we were willing to consider it, which we are not.”"
No reason to read between the lines. I think the front office is being clear.
I like Sheldon. He’s a stand up guy and a solid, if not spectacular, cornerback. He hits harder than any other corner in football. Ask Steven Jackson and Reggie Bush.
That being said, I thought he’d be smarter than this. Does he not remember ex-teammate Lito Sheppard’s futile attempts to get a new deal? I guess Sheldon figures the only way to get what he wants is complain loud enough to either get traded or released.
History has proven the grass isn’t always greener. Jeremiah Trotter, John Welbourn and Corey Simon all elected to play hardball with the Eagles and got knocked on their asses. They successfully negotiated their walking papers after holding out and whining, then promptly went on to do squat with their new teams.
Trotter signed a big deal with the Redskins in 2002, tore up his knee, then came crawling back to Philly in 2004.
Welbourn got shipped to Kansas City in 2004, played four average seasons, then got dumped. He’s currently out of football.
Corey Simon was released in 2005 after refusing to sign his franchise tag. He went to the Colts for one season before injuries ended his career. He officially retired in 2007 due to polyarthritis.
Brown is on the wrong side of 30 to begin a “trade me” campaign. It’s not to say teams wouldn’t want him, but what is he expecting? Asante Samuel money? He’s never been to a Pro Bowl and has only 14 interceptions in 7 seasons. Is he underpaid? Yeah, but he’s not Brian Westbrook. B-West got his contract reworked after he posted MVP type numbers in 2006 and 2007. The Eagles admitted he “outplayed” his contract.
Has Sheldon outplayed his contract? Maybe, maybe not. He’s reliable and durable having started 112 consecutive games. He’s also one of the guys expected to fill the leadership void left by the departure of Dawkins. He doesn’t back down from the tough questions and refuses to sugarcoat his answers. Again, I am a Sheldon Brown fan, but Brown is heading down a very perilous path.
He’s not stupid. He sees the $100 million shelled out to two starting offensive tackles and has to be wondering, “Hey, where’s mine?” I don’t blame him for scratching his head, but he has to realize this could end badly for himself.
Maybe this is why the Birds were so eager to ink Joselio Hanson to a 5-year deal. Maybe this is why they are working out so many cornerbacks prior to the draft. The brain trust is rarely caught off guard. I’m not saying they will use the 21st pick on a corner, but grabbing a good one in the first three rounds seems highly probable, if for no other reason than to cover themselves.
Whether the fans agree or not, when a player signs a lengthy contract extension, the Eagles expect that player to uphold it. Sheldon Brown signed one such extension. If he starts down this road, I wish him luck. Waging war with the Eagles usually results in the player getting stuck with the short end of the stick.