Eric Weddle has manned the backend of the San Diego Chargers defense almost exclusively over the past several seasons, having seen 98 percent of the team's defensive snaps since 2011.
Oh, and he's also taken part in 49 percent of the special teams plays during that time as well. And he's been a defensive captain in San Diego the past four seasons. And the franchise's Defensive Player of the year three of the past four years. And he's coming off his second All-Pro selection in as many seasons to boot.
In short, Weddle has been about as integral to the Chargers overall success as any one player ever could be since the team drafted him in the second-round of the 2007 NFL Draft.
Despite his prodigious contributions though, it seems the team and head coach Mike McCoy may be preparing for life after Weddle.
"Prior to the first organized team activity last Monday, McCoy told the assembled players, in essence, to move on without Weddle, that a player unhappy with his contract shouldn't bail on his team," Kevin Acee of UTSanDiego.com reports.
While it's all well and good for McCoy to suggest that a player should honor his contract, Weddle has a legitimate gripe here - he's currently riding a streak of 80 consecutive starts, during which time he's played next to 10 different starting safeties. Five safeties have made more money than Weddle in the recent past - Earl Thomas, the recently retired Troy Polamalu, Devin McCourty, Jairus Byrd and Dashon Goldson.
Of the group, Weddle has the most interceptions and tackles and the second-most pass breakups, sacks and tackles-for-loss over the last four years.
Yes, he's slated to make $7.5 million in base salary for 2015, but it's also the final year of his current deal. If Weddle is injured this season or sees a dip in production, the Chargers can part ways after the year, no muss no fuss, leaving Weddle out in the proverbial cold without any team or commitment.
No one will lose sleep over a professional athlete making $7.5 million for one season's work, but it's fair for Weddle and his agent, David Canter, to suggest that the safety has been monumentally important to several phases of the San Diego organization in the recent past and that, should his contract situation fail to change, that type of contribution can no longer be expected from Weddle.
"He will play his final 16 games as a Charger as a free safety - nothing else," Canter said Monday, via Acee. "... His going above and beyond for them is why they won't give him a contract extension."
Chargers GM Tom Telesco had suggested in late April that the team and Weddle's representatives would "no doubt" have discussions "at some point."
Now, per Acee, it seems there is little chance of that happening.
Weddle will likely report at some point - as Acee notes, he stands to lose $73,000 if he doesn't appear at minicamp in two weeks - but it seems Weddle and the team will continue to operate from two very different vantage points as they enter the 2015 season.
"It's blatantly obvious after me asking the team time and again to extend us that Eric isn't wanted," Canter said. "So it's time for Eric to move on (to) where he can win and is wanted."
