Javon Walker Doesn't Want to be a Bronco

by Jeremy Bolander on Dec 31, 2007 1:59 PM MST Comment 24 comments

From the Denver Post. Also being reported in the Rocky Mountain News

Javon Walker dropped the first bomb of the Broncos' offseason this morning.

In a rambling briefing with the press, Walker essentially said he longer wants to be with the Broncos.

"It's not for Javon," Walker said. "It's not for me."

Walker bounced and back and forth and said that he'll do whatever the Broncos decide but he concluded by saying that being here is not for him.

Walker even suggested a return to Green Bay. The Broncos acquired him from the Packers in April 2006 for a second round draft choice.

Walker was unhappy with the Packers when he was dealt.

Walker missed seven games this season with a knee injury and second-year player Brandon Marshall flourished, catching 102 balls.

Walker said that the offense is centered around Marshall now and he is happy for his teammate.

Walker has $5.4 million in option bonus money coming to him this year and the team was planning on keeping him. However, after his bombshell, the team will likely seriously consider parting ways.

Is this Walker's attitude because he was approached about restructuring? I doubt they have done anything along those lines yet.

Walker is showing the same attitude problems he had in Green Bay when the Packers figured out a way to make do without him after an injury. No one can help when they get injured, but what seperates the greats from the also-rans is how players deal with adversity from all quarters.

Walker has shown multiple times now that he does not understand how to adjust to being injured. Don't like that Marshall performed well and took your job while you were injured? Don't like the fact that Denver didn't keep their offense centered on a guy who wasn't even on the field? I will make a leap of judgment here and say that Walker doesn't like the long term plan for the Denver offense either, summed up eloquently by Rod Smith, "When we run the ball well, we win."

I don't believe that this is necessarily a bad thing. We cannot utilize 3 great WRs as well as we can utilize multiple TEs, and as HT has mentioned elsewhere, it is cheaper to go with multiple TEs, a great #1 and serviceable slots and #2s (and stokely is PLENTY serviceable). Walker should not be considered depth on anyone's roster at this point in his career, and he deserves a chance to prove that his injuries are behind him. Not great trade value, but I think we could get something for him, if he agrees to restructure so that we don't take a hit for the trade. First step is for the Broncos to find out how serious he is about taking his chances being put on the block, what with his second knee injury sidelining him for most of a season. I have a sneaking suspicion he wouldn't successfully pass any team's workouts right now. I think either way, he is going to have to restructure. One last thing: I find it hilarious that he would mention GB as a possible destination. Forget the fact that he was unhappy there once, but does he really want to catch passes from Aaron Rogers in the future over Cutler?

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR

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It's a shame

that Walker doesn't want to be a Bronco anymore. I'm not sure what team would take an injured WR who has pouted in the last 2 cities that he's played in.

Hearts were broken in Chicago...Balls taken in Oakland...Coffins nailed in Houston...Belch!

by mdierk on Dec 31, 2007 2:39 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Add to that dilemma

that if he doesn't restructure, we will take an $8mil hit for trading him, and there is almost no way that we can afford to do it.

I think this might just be the foreplay leading up to serious contract talks between Javon and the team.

Does anyone know who Javon's agent is?

Gameday postwhore.

by Jeremy Bolander on Dec 31, 2007 2:47 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Walker's agent is

Kennard McGuire of CSMG Sports, one of the top agents in the NFL.

And unless one is Rickey Henderson, one does not use the third person when talking about one's self. Otherwise, it becomes a "rambling briefing" as the article informs us.

Purple Row - Covering all your Rockies needs!

by Russ Oates on Dec 31, 2007 3:35 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks!

I was hoping it would be a big name. A smart agent should realize that bullying Denver in negotiations is going to be a good way to make his client very unhappy.

Everyone is going to have to work together on this one to see that all parties are pleased, since its not like Denver is holding out on Javon. Infact, if anything, Javon is holding out on us, showing us glimpses of great talent and then reporting back to the surgeons every four weeks. Shame on you Javon!

by Jeremy Bolander on Dec 31, 2007 4:22 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

i don't think it's

Drew Rosenhaus....Denver hates dealing with him. Portis had him and that helped get Champ to Denver at the time.

Hearts were broken in Chicago...Balls taken in Oakland...Coffins nailed in Houston...Belch!

by mdierk on Dec 31, 2007 3:24 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

A prima donna will be a prima donna

A leopard will never change its spots I suppose. Doesn't surprise me. Javon Walker has always had an attitude problem. History is repeating itself all over again, the exact same thing occurred in Green Bay. Javon may have been a locker room cancer all year. I want hard working guys like Rod Smith on my football team, not guys who have no concept of TEAM and playing your role. Wish him the best, but I will not really miss him.

by Make It Rain on Dec 31, 2007 5:39 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

What a mess

On the one hand it would be nice to keep him. We can't afford the cap hit of 8 mill to drop or trade him, and I still think he has talent left in him to give us a down field threat.

On the other hand, I hate locker room cancers no matter how good the player is.

The only way we can afford to trade him is if he restructures or else we take the hit. We shouldn't be paying him at his current rate after he sat on the bench most of the season and played hobbled when he took the field.

Perhaps the best option is to make a trade with another team that has to eat their own bonus equivelent to Walker's for the player we would get.

Comparing Henry and Walker at his point, I gain even further admiration for Henry's attitude.

"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe

by Steve Nichols on Dec 31, 2007 7:40 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

I wonder if Javon is

seriously messed up by Darrent Williams dying in his lap and thinks that getting out of Denver might be the best thing for him emotionally. If that's the reason he wants out then I couldn't fault him for that.

However, I say Denver should ignore him and keep him another year...IF he doesn't restructure. Who cares what he says, if he doesn't perform then we bench him. I'd rather have $8 million on the bench than $8 million flushed down the toilet.

It's 1995 all over again: http://www.milehighreport.com/story/2007/10/1/202724/157

by Tim Lynch on Dec 31, 2007 8:56 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

this is just bizarre to me

"It's not that they don't want me here, but I just don't think it's the best fit for me" is the quote I read on Yahoo before checking it out over here. I don't understand what he is talking about, he was injured almost all year, his first to (his only healthy) games he went for over 100 yards. Last year when he actually was healthy he had the highest average of his career save for 2003 when he had far fewer catches (and thus is an outlier in my opinion) and he had the longest reception of his career as a Bronco. Cutler is only getting better (and he is already very good) and Walker is in his prime. Why not have the scariest two headed monster in the league, I think eclipsing Fitzgerald/Boldin since both Marshall and Walker are so tall. How is this not a good fit?

All that said though, if he doesn't want to play here, it may affect his performance, and I don't want him dragging the team down. If he is willing to play his hardest even if he doesn't like being here, then keep him, otherwise, kick him to the curb.

by poorboywilly on Dec 31, 2007 8:57 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Where he's coming from

I don't agree with Walker's take on things, but this started when the team approached him about restructuring. Instead of keeping it between his agent and the team he decided to take the matter to the press.

"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe

by Steve Nichols on Jan 1, 2008 12:22 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I see this interview as somewhat of

a preemptive strike on the contract talks that are coming up in the near future for Walker.

In Walker's corner is the PA, and the fact that part of the reason the players sign these huge contracts is in case they get injured. It is doubtful that Walker will restructure based on injuries, and I haven't heard anything about any protective clauses regarding Javon's knee not healing or becoming reaggravated. The best Denver can do is argue that Javon's future value is compromised by the knee injury, or to simply appeal to Walker to restructure purely to give him more resale value.

As HT says, they only realistic trade is for a player with a similar cap-hit, and do a straight up trade. He still has four years left on his contract, so waiting for FA to come is out of the question.

If he doesn't restructure, nothing is possible but to have him play out his contract, at least until a year where his salary cap hit was acceptable. I would personally like to see him traded for a draft pick, hopefully a 3rd (which is a steal if he can get healthy). My reasoning? There is a part of this team that is together. They are young guys who are intent on making the Broncos their team. Javon Walker is not part of this group, and he won't ever be. Not with an attitude like this...

Post-season diarywhore

by Jeremy Bolander on Dec 31, 2007 10:14 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Agreed.

Maybe he'll come around; I hope so. If not, he's got to go.

"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe

by Steve Nichols on Jan 1, 2008 12:25 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I say keep him

and scheme to make him as important to our offense as Brandon Marshall is. Javon is talented, and it would be a shame to lose that talent. Javon would be happy if he gets as many chances to make big plays as Marshall does. I have no problem with that kind of competition between two teammates.

It's 1995 all over again: http://www.milehighreport.com/story/2007/10/1/202724/157

by Tim Lynch on Jan 1, 2008 10:27 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

that's what I don't understand

If he had been healthy this year, all signs point to him having just as big of a season as Marshall. As I pointed out, his first two games were over 100 yards. If he wants to be sent hobbling down the field to catch a bomb on a post pattern after having surgery, then that's just not going to happen. If he comes back next year with a good attitude and shows his knee troubles are behind him, I'm all for him; he's one of the better receivers in the NFL when healthy.

by poorboywilly on Jan 1, 2008 11:51 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Walker's gripe

Walker has a big contract, a lot of which kicks in next year. He got injured this year, and so Denver asked him to restructure his contract. He didn't do anything for us this year after the first couple of games, and his future is in doubt. We took him on as an injury risk too.

Walker's position is that his GB injury is in the past (he played very well for us last year), and he expects to play just as well as last year in '08. DEN's position is that we expected his first two seasons to be injury free, and we wasted millions on the '07 season for no performance.

I'm in the middle on this one. What Denver is doing is correct in terms of asking for a restructuring. I also think Walker lacked class taking the issue to the press. On the other hand, I'm sure Walker was hurt by the implication, and I think (in my opinion) that there is little doubt that Walker can come back and be great for us next year (if he moves past his present resentment).

As good as Marshall is, we have short term memories as fans. Walker is really our number one receiver in terms of talent. He is also our deep field threat. I would like to see Walker play as number one WR for three reasons.

To pull opposing safeties deep right
To keep Marshall covered by the opponents #2 CB
To act as mentor and give Marshall even more time to develop.

I think there are some good ways for Denver to solve this issue.

Restructure the contract, but allow for incentives to kick in if Walker performs to a high level. We can even "trap" Walker by asking him, if he's so good, what kind of performance does he expect to give us next year. Then we put that on paper as part of the incentive package.
Let Walker know that nothing has changed in how Denver does business. Training camp and the pre-season still determines who is #1 and #2. Let Walker know that at WORST he will be #2 with a better chance of meeting his incentive goals against a #2 CB. At best he will be a #1 and cement his reputation for other teams should he want to move on later.

It would be a shame to lose Walker. He's an incredible receiver, and Marshall's great performance this year has shortened our memories a little. If we could get him back we would have an awe inspiring set of weapons for Cutler to throw to. On the other hand, if Walker starts whining then to heck with him. For the money we have tied up in him he can sit on the bench for a year instead of us losing the same amount of money for him to play on an opponent's team.

"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe

by Steve Nichols on Jan 1, 2008 2:35 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

question.

What if a team was willing to trade Walker for one of area's of need (before we are faced with his 5 Mil bounes in Feb)? Let's say we get a good DT for Walker. That might help the 08 team more than walker could--less potential but...

Then we can draft a WR to develop along with Cutler and Marshall ;)

Orange County is hot. Really! Haven't you seen the weather report?

by amirebram on Jan 1, 2008 9:31 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Only if...

...we get a player that we save a simular cap on from another team (eating their own cost). See my comment further up thread. We just can't take a hit this big unless we get a good player with a savings in proportion to what we would lose.

Otherwise we keep him and sit him on the bench. If we have to eat the money anyway, let it be with him on the bench and not helping some other team. I think he may come around.

"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe

by Steve Nichols on Jan 2, 2008 5:59 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I saw a great idea somewhere

Walker for Vilma

Both had knee problems this year.
Both have great upside.
Both have had young players take their "spot" in their current team.
Both could fill area's of need for "potential" new team.
Both want out of their current team.
Vilma has 2 years left on his rookie contract, so his cap value is very low (good for us).
WR have longer carriers than LB (good for NY)
Vilma is a bad fit for their 3-4 system, while walker is a great fit for QB Clemens (Good for NY)
With Vilma at MLB, move DJ to WLB, dump Gold and save $, and we will have one of the best LB cores. Then draft DT or S (Good for us).

Orange County is hot. Really! Haven't you seen the weather report?

by amirebram on Jan 2, 2008 4:58 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Now this I like

Very interesting, and definitely something to keep an eye on.

Post-season diarywhore

by Jeremy Bolander on Jan 2, 2008 6:25 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I think chances are fairly low

The credit for the idea (if there is any to be had) must go to one "Ervi" on the Broncomania Draft/FA forum.

I really don't know if either team would even consider the possibility.

NY would definatly be hesitant to pick up such a trade unless Walker was willing to re-negotiate his contract. There is too much money on his end to be worth the risk.

NOW if we paid Walker's 5 mil bonus before the trade, then it might make it financially worth it for NY. We would essentially be paying the money to have Vilma play for us, but we only pay Vilma his rookie contract money... this would only make sense if Walker started to become a cancer.

In the end it might just be best to keep Walker and see what tomorrow brings.

Orange County is hot. Really! Haven't you seen the weather report?

by amirebram on Jan 2, 2008 7:18 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

I like the idea of a trade vor Vilma. But on the other hand I still think Walker may work out for us after all of the contract posturing dies down. Agree with you on both points.

"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe

by Steve Nichols on Jan 3, 2008 12:08 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

You know how I feel about WR.

Frankly I would be happier to see walker go and have another stud LB. Then I can keep dreaming my WR fantasy. Bowman, Manningham, and Bennett. I want 2 out of 3.....

Then we will suck just like Arizona and Cinci. Damn! I defeat myself.

Comming back to earth, what if we can get Long at OT? That would be better than anything we can get for the D.

Orange County is hot. Really! Haven't you seen the weather report?

by amirebram on Jan 3, 2008 2:56 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

About Long

First, I think we are set at WR with Walker, Marshall, and Stokely. Even if we lose Marshall (and I don't think things will really go that that far), we can still look great at #1 and #2 and still bring in a decent WR in the draft.

I think we can get any of the o-linemen we need in the middle of the draft. They didn't have to be great in college, they only have to fit our profile and we'll develop them. It may be a two to three year process, but I think we'll be ok.

I read elsewhere at MHR that Lepsis says he will stay another year. This buys us time as well (I figured Nalen was more likely than Lepsis to go, but was pretty sure they were both leaving). I still think Hamilton might go (50/50).

I think we should get the best SAF in the draft if he falls to us (now looks possible). Then we should get either a DT or LB, whichever is the best available.

I'm still on the fence about Williams at MLB.

"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe

by Steve Nichols on Jan 3, 2008 5:37 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with finding ways to keep him.

Prima donnas are annoying, but the WR position seems to be loaded with them. I see that putting up with a talented WR who is a prima donna is just the cost of doing business in the NFL. If he is healthy and has a team attitude he will be very productive, for all the reasons already stated.

Eating that cap space would really hurt, it seems like getting another player with a similar cap hit is the best option for trading. I wonder if his value is any higher than a 4h rounder right now?

by Arctic Bronco on Jan 1, 2008 8:53 PM MST reply actions 0 recs