Many people, including myself, have viewed you as the ultimate NFL mercenary because you’re one of the few non-quarterbacks to maximize your value. Fair or unfair?
Everybody has an opinion. Some may view it as him having leverage, and he does well with that leverage. Some may look at it as he’s overpaid. There are a million things that can be said. The only thing I look at is, you get paid for what you do on the field. Everybody. It’s the Tom Bradys, Peyton Mannings, and it goes down the line. That’s all I ask for. At the end of the day it’s negotiations. You go back and forth, we come to a common ground, and everybody’s happy. That’s how you look at it. I just focus on what I need to do and not worry about it.
Why has maximizing your value been important to you? Is it still important?
Well, I think it should be important to every player that plays this game. You get paid for what you do. Calvin Johnson is one of the best receivers in the league, and he gets a huge paycheck, and that’s great, he should. I mean, the dude is 6-5, runs a 4.32 40, nobody cannot watch him. He’s usually getting double-teamed, he’s still coming down with balls. You get paid for how you perform, and that’s how you look at it. And it’s leverage. You have to use your leverage when you have it because that window is going to close sooner or later. That’s with anybody.