Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
If the Denver Broncos had a flux capacitor, would they go back in time?
In light of recent developments it seems the Broncos should have simply paid Elvis Dumervil what they owed him and skipped this entire episode. Of course, that didn’t happen. So, the question now is what are the Broncos waiting for? It seems no one is getting the message and the message has been sent very loud and very clear.
Let’s not forget it was Dumervil who walked away from the negotiations only to return 35 minutes prior to the NFL deadline. Even then he returned 25 minutes after the deadline the Broncos had given him! Playing for a Superbowl contender is certainly not Dumervil’s primary concern. Despite that glaringly obvious fact, here we are one week later and nothing has really changed.
Ok, yes, the Broncos now have nearly $5 million in dead money working against their salary cap. Yes, the Ravens have made Dumervil an offer that he is currently mulling over. Ok, you’re right, Dwight Freeney and John Abraham have come to visit as well. Almost forgot, Dumervil fired his former agent and hired a new one. Still, nothing has truly changed. Eight days removed from the broken fax incident and here we are waiting for Elvis Dumervil to agree to terms.
Do Bronco fans actually think Elvis wants to come back and win a Superbowl? Does the Bronco organization not realize it’s a completely financial decision for Dumervil at this point. Clearly, it’s not that he’s angry about a pay cut. The $12 million he was due is not going to happen. No team will offer him that amount and both he and his agent know that. Denver has suffered a dead money hit, made Elvis what seems to be a decent offer in light of their current cap position and despite showing some interest in a couple of other qualified candidates there is still no word from the former Bronco.
Reports from Mike Klis of the Denver Post indicate that the Broncos’ offer is better than the Ravens in the first year but it seems to be worse in year two. Ah ha! Dumervil’s new agent, Tom Condon, has apparently asked the Broncos to rework the second season but to no avail. The Broncos don’t seem to be indicating they will budge. Why? With Dumervil, it’s all about the money!
John Elway and the Bronco front office have moved swiftly in free agency. With the exception of Rashard Mendenhall and this much publicized Dumervil situation it seems the organization has had it’s way since that 4pm bell rang on March 12. So, having Freeney and Abraham come and go without a signing can only lead fans to believe the obvious. It seems that despite everything Doom has done to indicate that his primary focus is dollars, the Bronco brass is still trying to play hard ball with with him.
Football is game where players must take as much as they can get financially before their body clock expires. No one should begrudge Elvis Dumervil’s efforts to get paid. At this point, however, it’s time for the Broncos to make a move. The Broncos are trying to win a Superbowl and realize they have a very fixed window in which to do so. They need to either sign another qualified candidate, preferably Abraham from a statistical standpoint, or simply give Dumervil what he wants in year two. They made a deadline, broke it for him and now continue to wait. This behavior is the complete opposite of the otherwise well thought out and calculated strategies that have been implemented by the franchise during the early days of this free agency season.
It’s like Marty McFly trying to plead with George to simply ask Lorraine to the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance. He is your density! Just go get him, sign him and get this over with… Please.
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