Donovan McNabb, normally quiet and reserved, has been overheard on numerous occasions recently bashing the Freedom organization. McNabb, who has been with the team since inception, has seen the team suffer through three very difficult seasons. As Parkwood Predators owner, Mike SantaLucia noted, “The Freedom have a lifetime division record of 3-15!”
At the recent Pro-Bowl, McNabb was quoted as saying, “There are 11 other teams in this league that I would rather be playing for. This team has not won games and there is only so much losing a man can take. My mother can’t always be there with soup to cheer me up.”
Some would question how much of that losing has been McNabb’s fault. The team was unable to get any traction last year as McNabb suffered from injury early in the season. The coaches’ allegiance to their ailing star kept Jon Kitna on the bench as the losses piled up. However, McNabb’s agent, I.B. Rich, noted that over the final 8 weeks where statistics are available, McNabb averaged just under 25 points a game. This placed him in a tie with Peyton Manning and 5 points behind league leader Dante Culpepper.
Herein lies the crux of the issue, as Culpepper is scheduled to make $1,271 next season while Manning is set to receive $1,540. On the other hand the Freedom have offered McNabb a $1,200 tender offer. This is actually a pay reduction from his 2003 salary and McNabb has made it clear that he would prefer not to be in the red, white and blue next year.
Team ownership feels that at $1,200 McNabb would be a bargain but at the same time if someone were to offer McNabb a strong offer the team would be inclined to let him walk and to start the Byron Leftwich era.