Isn't this great? A public spat between the Eagles and one of their stars…again.
The Eagles have issued a statement in response to Sheldon Brown wanting a trade or a new contract:
“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 four 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 four 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.”
Say what you want, the Eagles are holding all of the cards. Sheldon knew what he was signing and you have to know that at some point, those contract numbers are going to be low for the market at some point.
He could have refused the extension and opted to play out the contract and hit free agency, where he could have seen a bigger payday. Asante Samuel did it, and it worked out brilliantly for him. But, you could also have the same results as Damon Moore, who shredded his knee in the 2001 NFC Championship game against the Rams.
Sheldon, you are a very nice player. You are a bright guy and a team guy. What you are doing is not good for anyone.
I'm curious to see how this plays out; the draft might tell us a lot this weekend. It's not hard to talk your way out of town in Philly (see: Lito Sheppard, John Welbourn, Terrell Owenes) as the Eagles can't stand malcontents. But I don't know that they continue with the "just run your mouth and you're out of here" routine.
