Why did Brian Dawkins take the trip to Denver? He was kicked to the curb by the Eagles in much the same way Tra Thomas is being kicked to the curb.
Dawk had told a free of mind that he was going to test the free agent waters. He had never said this before because he was willing to sign for less money to stay with the Birds.
Our mutual friend had noticed that something had happened which offended Dawk and it changed the way he viewed the negotiations.
Here's the way it read in Eagletarian, the blog by Les Bowen and Paul Domowitch on Philly.com:
"Did the Eagles let it be known they can go on without you?
“Yeah, in so many words. For that organization, this was a business deal and it was not business for me. People think I wanted to get to free agency. I did not want to get to free agency. I’ve never gone to free agency. I’ve had times in the past where I could have collected big bucks on the open market, but I did not want to get there. So why would I want to get there all of a sudden now on my last contract. No, I wanted to be an Eagle.”
On if talks with the Eagles got contentious:
“I wouldn’t say ugly, I would just say that they opened my eyes right away that this was a business deal that this wasn’t about me being here, who I am to the team to my teammates and what I’m continuing to do. It was about my age and a business decision and that really hurt.”
On how the Eagles made him feel:
“At the end of the day you’re a 36-year-old safety.”
On the contract that the Eagles offered him:
“What I was offered, that was it. I wouldn’t say take-it-or-leave-it offer. No one gave me any impression that there would be any flexibility in it.”
Was owner Jeffrey Lurie involved in the negotiations?
“I don’t know if he was involved in the negotiation, but I feel like if perhaps he was things would be different right now.”
