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Monday, April 20, 2009
BROWN'S TRADE REQUEST NOT SURPRISING

 

Sheldon Brown is unhappy with his contract and wants to be traded.

Fish are fond of water.

Neither bit of news should come as a surprise.

The Eagles' response to Brown's trade demand, on the other hand, is surprising because they typically do not comment on such matters.

“It’s very unfortunate and counterproductive that Sheldon has chosen to go public with his feelings about his situation," the team said in a statement. "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.  

“There have been league MVP’s, 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.
 
“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.”

It has been known for some time that Brown wasn't happy with his contract, but today's report from ESPN is the first public display of that displeasure.

Asked about his contract after fellow cornerback Lito Sheppard was traded to the New York Jets last month, Brown made it clear he felt he deserved a pay hike.

"I'll let my agent handle that," the veteran cornerback said. "I will say this: sometimes dependability is better than ability. If somebody has outplayed his contract, I think it would be the guy you can count on week in and week out."

On Brown's personal web site, he boasts that he hasn't missed a game since he started playing football in sixth grade. Don't have the records of his seventh- and eighth-grade seasons in South Carolina, but it says right in the Eagles' media guide that he has played 124 straight games in the NFL since being taken in the second round of the 2002 draft.

Attempts to reach Brown and his agent Jason Chayut have failed so far today. Brown's wife Jenny said the cornerback is in the Philadelphia area. It will be interesting to see if Brown shows up for the Eagles' mandatory minicamp a week from Friday.

Posted by Bob Brookover @ 5:27 PM  Permalink | 56 comments
56
Comments   
Posted 05:33 PM, 04/20/2009
psuwelsh
If the Eagles stay put he can leave at the end of his contract...that is how it works.
Posted 05:36 PM, 04/20/2009
geno
I also believe if Mr.Brown had outplayed his contract the Eagles would have looked into a raise for him just as they have for Mr. Westbrook.
Posted 05:42 PM, 04/20/2009
evince
Trade him, tired of these pampered athletes. He should not have signed the extension.
Posted 05:53 PM, 04/20/2009
KGKoons
Trade him with a package for a 2nd round draft choice. Some team will take his whining. But, enough of that for the Birds.
Posted 05:54 PM, 04/20/2009
jocko
Is anyone else tired of these clowns opting for security and upfront bonus money and then whining a few years later that they have "outplayed the contract" (whatever that means)?
Posted 05:58 PM, 04/20/2009
reek3232
Locking guys into long term deals has not worked out for the Eagles, overall. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
Posted 06:04 PM, 04/20/2009
philly10
BROWN SIGNED A $25 MILLION EXTENTION IN 2004...NOW HE WANTS MORE MONEY BEFORE THE DEAL IS OVER.....NO WAY, BROWN ENTHUSIASTICALLY AGREED TO A GREAT DEAL AND THE EAGLES ARE PAYING HIM AS PROMISED.....WOULD BROWN LIKE IT IF THE EAGLES WANTED TO LOWER HIS CONTRACT, OF COURSE HE WOULDN'T...SHELDON YOU ARE BEING PAID MILLIONS TO BE AN AVERAGE CORNERBACK, JUST SHUT UP AND PLAY BALL.
Comment removed.
Posted 06:07 PM, 04/20/2009
fgdavis
Man, is that Sheldon laying out Bush in the playoff game. That's one of the best hits I've ever seen.
Posted 06:12 PM, 04/20/2009
Dean1
Normally, I'm right there with those wanting athletes to live up to their deals. That said, this organization has proven time and again that it tosses away valuable veterans like trash once their deals are up. The Eagles front office has shown a completely lack of loyalty, specifically this year to Brian Dawkins. Sheldon Brown has witnessed this first hand with the likes of Dawk, Troy Vincent, Trotter, Duce, etc. The list goes on. I have no problem with Sheldon's stance at all.
Posted 06:25 PM, 04/20/2009
thingfish
Tosses away valuable veterans like trash once their deals are up? You're kidding, right. You mean like the "valuable veterans" leave any organization via free agency when their deals are up? That may have been the most moronic thing I have ever read, Dean1.
Posted 06:26 PM, 04/20/2009
psuwelsh
Jocko - yes, I am tired of players whining about contracts they signed, especially contracts that give a player guaranteed money that sets them up for life...good comment.
Posted 06:31 PM, 04/20/2009
MIKEZ
I'm looking at Dean1's post and the guy is an idiot. They didn't toss anyone away like trash. They pay players who can still play and there isn't one guy we let go that had anything left in the tank. They didn't trash Dawk Denver paid a ridiculous amount of money for a 35 year old player and every other name you bring up was washed up when released. The Eagles are not obligated to run a retirement home on the field. I loved Dawkins but his days are over here as a player. You just want to gripe about the Eagles with nothing to back it up.
Posted 06:37 PM, 04/20/2009
aam13
he got paid his money already, we've got a lot of needs to fill and can't renegotiate a deal for every player. he told the inquirer when lito was unhappy that he "just goes out there and plays" so i hope he continues to do this. the eagles have a history of dumping veterans at the right time to build up young prospects. dawk is a whole different story than trotter, duce and troy and i think he personally deserved more, but you can't compare sheldon to dawk quite yet.
Posted 06:38 PM, 04/20/2009
Sports4Life
We spent so much on the offensive line and on Asante, we are handcuffing ourselves. Even so, Sheldon gets paid quite fairly. He is decently paid and is a decent, solid cornerback.
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Bob Brookover, left, is in his seventh year of covering the Philadelphia Eagles after spending 15 years covering the Philadelphia Phillies for the Inquirer and two other newspapers. The 45-year-old Brookover lives in Delran with his wife Francine and roots for Notre Dame and Michigan State, the two schools attended by his children, Justine and Ryan. When Notre Dame plays Michigan State, he cheers for the school of the child he likes more at that particular moment.

Jeff McLane, right, joined the Eagles beat in April 2009 after two years of covering colleges, namely Penn State football. Before that he covered high school sports for The Inquirer. Before that he worked in the mailroom (not quite). Informed that his father is no longer covering the Lions, McLane's eldest, three-year-old son said, "You mean Simba, Scar and Mufasa, Daddy?" His two-year-old son -- excited about the move to the Eagles -- said, "Go, Deigo, Go!" or something like that. His wife of five-plus years, however, had a different take on the new job. "Another five years is in question," she said. Check out McLane on Twitter and Facebook for instant updates on the Eagles.
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