Brady Quinn’s rookie holdout was the worst decision of his life. And given some of the situations this young celebrity has found himself in, that’s saying something.
If this wasn’t perfectly obvious at the time last summer, the new contract and vote of confidence for Derek Anderson cements the deal. Let me count the reasons.
- The holdout delayed his ability to absorb, execute, and lead the Browns’ new offense in 2007.
- It ruined any chance for him to win the starting job outright from the start, which might have pre-empted Anderson’s surprising season.
- It clearly irked GM Phil Savage. Never a good idea to pick the first fight of your career with the man in charge of franchise’s football operations.
- The coaching staff didn’t exactly go out of its way to give the rookie a taste of NFL game action either. If he had been on board from the very first day of camp, would Romeo have looked for a chance to give him more snaps during the season? Maybe. It took the coach months just to use Quinn’s name in public.
- Anderson’s emergence may very well keep Quinn from reaching the playing time incentives his agent bargained so hard for. He ended up with a deal assuring him just $7.75 million. It could rise to as much as $30 million, but much of that escalation depends on Quinn taking 55% of the team’s snaps in two of his first three seasons or 70% by the third year. DA’s three-year deal guarantees him $14.5 million.
Still think the Browns regard Quinn as their quarterback of the future? It’s iffy. They’ll save eight figures by not paying his playing time escalator. The Browns won’t play Quinn and still pay Anderson, at least not for any longer than the remainder of a season, and then only in case of abject failure or fracture, something no fan of the team should dream about.
Quinn may be a lifelong Browns fan, a promising young quarterback, and a gentile mensch. But no one’s calling him the face of the franchise any more. That day, if it ever comes, must now be preceded by disaster or the distance of time.
What’s that old line again? You never get another chance to make a first impression.
