Trumpeting His Horn Out Of Atlanta

A story out of Atlanta this morning says Joe Horn desperately wants out of the Falcons.  Horn told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution "I'm even contemplating giving some money back to further this thing along. "I'm ready to get it solved and move on. The longer I stay here, the worse it's going to get." The story resonates here because a little over a year ago, I was working hard to sign Joe Horn for the Packers.  The first week of free agency had passed and now that the truly crazy money had been spent, we were kicking the tires on the market.  Horn’s name came up as someone that would be a good receiver and a presence in the locker room for a young team.  Coach McCarthy knew him well from his days in New Orleans and started to recruit him. Although Joe had some positives, there were some red flags.  He certainly did not fit the profile of how we were building our team.  He was an older receiver with some baggage whose fiery personality could be a problem with a young group of receivers, especially if he wasn’t playing.  While chasing Horn and dealing with his mild-mannered agent, Ralph Vitolo, I knew that although there was interest, we were not going to break the bank to sign Joe Horn.  That was comforting, although when the Falcons got involved – they were close to his home, he was close with Mike Vick who was still their quarterback – I knew the stakes would be ratcheted up. We were in it for a while, but the Falcons became more enamored with Joe financially, agreeing to give $7.5 million of guaranteed money for a 35 year-old receiver.  Joe had 27 receptions for the Falcons last year, meaning that if there is a divorce – as it appears there will be – Horn will have received almost $280,000 in guaranteed money for each of those receptions. This will not end well for Horn in Atlanta.  He is now questioning why he is not practicing, as he feels ready to go. "I'm healthy," he said. "It's frustrating to sit to the side. I tweaked a little hamstring. It's nothing major. I know I can still play, and I'm ready to go. It's just frustrating sitting out here and dealing with this." Joe Horn will not sit quietly while discontented.  That will not fit well with a new coach, new general manager and new atmosphere – sans Vick – in Atlanta.  Horn’s name will be in the transaction section soon.  The Falcons will likely try to trade him, and with no suitors, will eventually release him. Our Horn non-deal of last year proves an adage in the business of football that should never be underestimated:  some of the best deals are the ones that don’t get done.

Comments

Add a Comment

Add a Comment

* Required - Keep track of your comments Login or Register with NFP