The Elvis Dumervil Debacle
By Loot, NFL Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
In one of the more bizarre player moves from last year or any other year for that matter, Broncos star Elvis Dumervil was released by the Broncos and later signed by the Ravens. It wasn’t supposed to happen that way and Denver fans are going to be left searching for reasons as to why Elvis has left the building.
Dumervil was set to return. He had signed a 6-year /$61.5 million contract extension with Denver in 2010. He and the Broncos had restructured his deal, where he would make $8 million this season, instead of the $12 million he was going to receive. His agent, Marty Magid led the negotiation and it was coming down to the wire. His contract stated that if Dumervil were on the roster at 2:00 on March 15, 2013, the $12 million would be guaranteed. Papers needed to be faxed to the league office by 2 o’clock and they arrived at 2:06--a lousy 6 minutes late.
As a result, Denver would either have to pay the $12 million and take a huge salary cap hit or release Dumervil, which they did. Denver took a $5 million dead-money hit against their 2013 salary cap. Dumervil dismissed his agent. The Broncos tried to work it out, but Baltimore swooped in and signed Dumervil to a 5-year/$35 million contract. How bizarre!
Denver thought that despite the gaffe, they would still be able to sign Dumervil along the same terms and Elvis seemed agreeable at first. Then presumably during that period, some bad thoughts crept into Dumervil’s head in regards to the whole ordeal. All parties involved have taken the high road publicly. Dumervil fired his agent, making it seem like he put all the blame on him, but he obviously didn’t much like Denver’s handling of the situation.
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Baltimore got involved, hoping to retool their defense which absorbed a lot of losses in the offseason. They showered Dumervil with love, which had to stand in stark contrast to Denver’s mismanagement of the situation. Denver, flaking out and trying to cut his pay, suddenly was on the outside looking in and Dumervil was gone. Even though he was getting a slightly-better deal with Denver.
So who’s to blame? When millions are on the line, the player should himself be on top of the situation. Then again, that’s what agents are for and the great majority of the time, things get done without much of a second thought. So why would Dumervil assume anything different? An agent gets a ton of money for doing his job, so what excuse could there be for sending a fax after the deadline? The agent says Denver didn’t give them enough time to review the contract and by the time they were ready, the deadline had already expired. Denver, meanwhile, maintains that Dumervil and Magid took too long to review and mull the offer and by the time they got an answer, the deadline already passed. Seems like when a screwup of this magnitude occurs, there’s probably enough blame to go around for everyone.
A lot of player moves occur and none of them make anyone bat an eyelash. But when a premier team loses a top player because of a fax being sent 6 minutes late--it’s tough to swallow, especially for Broncos fans. As of this writing, it looks like Denver’s only other premier pass rusher, Von Miller, will probably be suspended. So if Denver struggles rushing the passer early in the year, Dumervil’s absence will stand out even more.
And let’s face it--Denver needs to be able to put the heat on opposing quarterbacks. Teams will be presumably passing more against Denver, whose offense is going to put a lot of teams down on points, forcing them to take to the air. With Miller and Dumervil not in there, Denver is losing about 30 sacks and untold amounts of game-changing pressure.
It’s not just the on-field excellence they are losing. A positive leader in the locker-room, the Broncos also lose a key part of their defensive veteran leadership. And when Von Miller returns, there’s not another beast in there to take the attention off blockers. How will Miller’s form be affected by the departure of Dumervil. Not to mention they didn’t just lose Dumervil to any team, but the one that eliminated them from the playoffs last season. That has to carry a little extra sting.
The Broncos lose a top defensive player. They took a hit on the cap with nothing to show for it. They lose a key guy to a conference rival and one they might bump heads with in the postseason. The Denver brass loses some face with the players and along with the offseason front-office DUI arrests, is starting to develop a reputation as a ragtag bunch--whether rightfully so or not. Contract restructuring takes place all the time, so how could this have been mismanaged so badly? It’s not like it’s an arena league team dealing with a back-up lineman. It’s a Super Bowl contender and an All-Pro for crying out loud! For Denver fans, it’s a hard pill to have to swallow.
