Darnell Dockett signed with the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday after playing 10 seasons for the division rival Arizona Cardinals, and he expressed disappointment with his former team for letting him go.
Docket, who signed a two-year, $7.5 million deal, told Jody and MJ on FOX Sports 910 in Phoenix that he was willing to take less money to remain with the Cardinals, but they showed a lack of interest in having him back.
“I was cut. The big question is who’s loyal? I tried to work it out, but it wasn’t making sense. If people knew how much money was in between an agreement, you would have a different respect for me as a player,” Dockett said. “I’m sure of that. When I realized that they weren’t trying to address it or listen and we couldn’t come to an agreement over that little change of the contract, I knew it was my time to go.”
Dockett was selected by the Cardinals in the third round of the 2004 draft and developed into a three-time Pro Bowler. He missed all of last season with a torn ACL and thinks the Cardinals had some doubts about his ability to return from the injury.
“I guess they felt like my injury was going to slow me down or I wasn’t going to be the same player that I was,” he said.
Dockett was offended by questions about his passion and loyalty, noting that he only missed two games in 10 seasons and just eight practices as he put his heart out for the organization.
Now for the million-dollar question — or in this case, the $500,000 question — Dockett shared the amount of money that kept the Cardinals from signing him.
“It was less than $500,000. When you’ve given everything to a team for 10 years and they’re not willing to meet you halfway, it’s time to leave,” he said.
Dockett is looking forward to facing the Cardinals twice a year with his new team and thinks their commitment to him will pay off.
“They hit the lottery.”
Dockett may have missed time on the field last season, but he still made his presence felt around the league in other hilarious ways. We think he’ll be back to his prior form on the field, causing havoc on defense this season.
