After being drafted by the Seahawks in 2011, Byron Maxwell spent the first four seasons in the NFL playing home games in Seattle. Then, he left to join the Eagles as a free agent last spring. As the 28-year-old cornerback revealed, the reason he headed to the east coast is exactly what everyone was thinking at the time.
Maxwell’s time in Seattle included being part of an extremely talented defensive unit and a victory in Super Bowl XLVIII. That’s certainly not a bad way to start your pro career. However, when Maxwell became a free agent, and started weighing offers, the amount of money presented by the Eagles was too enticing to turn down.
“Cash flow, all day,” Maxwell told ESPN. “They were close. But I can’t make that back in my lifetime. So I had to go.”
Maxwell signed a six-year deal with the Eagles with $25 million guaranteed. However, he spent just the one season in Philadelphia as he was traded to the Dolphins earlier this year along with Kiko Alonso.
Often times we want athletes to tell us the truth instead of the guarded responses we usually get. Every now and then, a few give us unfiltered answers to questions and it’s refreshing. Zack Greinke was also candid about money being a factor after signing with the Dodgers. It’s tough to argue against the decisions made by both Maxwell and Greinke.
