But that doesn't make this story any less bizarre. Savage told longtime Plain Dealer beat man Tony Grossi that he upped the Browns' offer to quarterback Derek Anderson by $2 million based on a hunch that the Cowboys were going to sign the restricted free agent and then trade him to Miami.
Savage conjured up this plot, in part, because the Dolphins weren't returning his calls and he thought the Cowboys might be looking for retribution for last year's draft-day trade that turned into a No. 22 pick. It's a good thing Savage isn't paranoid.
Here's the full scenario that Savage envisioned if he'd given Anderson a one-year contract tender as a restricted free agent:
"Dallas would have signed Anderson to a big contract and included a 'poison pill,' which would have made it impossible for the Browns to match the offer.
Dallas would have compensated the Browns with first and third-round picks. They would be the Cowboys' original selections, No. 28 overall in both rounds.
Dallas would have traded Anderson and their other first-round pick - No. 22 overall, obtained from the Browns last year - to Miami for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The Cowboys then would select Arkansas running back Darren McFadden with that pick.
Savage said he became suspicious because he thought the new big fish in Miami, Bill Parcells, really liked Anderson and the Dolphins declined to answer phone calls prior to the tender deadline of midnight on Feb. 29."
So basically Anderson got an extra $2 million because of Savage's active imagination. To suggest that Bill Parcells and Jerry Jones came up with an elaborate plot in order to punish the Browns for their unexpected success following a 2007 draft-day trade is quite a stretch. I think Savage is a smart man, but sharing his thought process on the Anderson contract with a reporter wasn't a wise move.
"What better way to get back at us for having a good year?" Savage said of the Cowboys.
I talked to members of both the Dolphins and Cowboys organizations this morning. They claimed that Savage's scenerio had never been discussed. I do find it interesing that Jones has been so adamant about not wanting to have a top-five pick because of the financial ramifications even though he was praying that his 2008 pick from the Browns ended up near the top of the draft. Jerry contradicting himself? Say it ain't so.
