The Eagles could fine Brian Westbrook and refuse to renegotiate his contract.
On the other hand Westbrook could blow up the Eagles season by holding out of camp and refusing to report because without him they have no chance at all of making the playoffs.
Will both sides be hard line or will they give in and compromise?
The question now which will be answered on Thursday is will Westbrook hold out or will report to camp on time.¬† He could report this week, workout for a while and then decide to leave camp because he’s not getting enough progress in the contract talks.
He held out in 2005 and he knows his absence would put a cloud over the camp.¬† There’s no guarantee though that the strategy would motivate the Eagles to put a better offer on the table.
I hope all the talk of Westbrook wanting $30 million guaranteed is a negotiation ploy because there’s no way he’ll get that much at the age of 29.¬† I could see them compromising and meeting in the middle at $15 to $20 million dollars of new guaranteed money.
Running backs burn out fast and Westbrook has already missed games because of knee swelling.¬† I don’t think he has more than three good years left in his body.
At the same time the Eagles have to talk to him because he’s clearly outperformed the contract that he’s now playing under.¬† The Birds and President Joe Banner have a reputation of never letting a player force them into the renegotiation
This negotiation is the most important thing happening this week because Westbrook not showing up to camp will disrupt the team’s work.¬† This team needs the work desperately and they must start the season fast if they want to make the playoffs..
They need Westbrook at camp working hard if they’re going to start fast.¬† The Eagles know this and don’t want any disruptions but they’re not in the habit of giving in to anybody.
