Simeon Rice has always said he didn’t play for money. His actions Friday proved that.
Rice said he gave up a portion of his signing bonus in exchange for being released by the Broncos, who signed him to a $3 million deal six days before the start of the season.
The Broncos signed the 34-year-old Rice, who received a $2.15 million signing bonus, in an attempt to improve their pass rush. It didn’t work.
Rice, who was inactive for two games because he was ineffective, had no sacks in six games, including the past two games.
“I’m in this to be great and I wasn’t allowed to be great in Denver,” Rice said. “I gave up some money to get out of there. It was that important to me. I need to be somewhere where I’m allowed to be great. I didn’t just wake up in Denver and forget to play football.”
Rice said his breaking point came Tuesday, when Denver signed three young defensive linemen. The team likes the trio of Larry Birdine, Paul Carrington and Josh Mallard, and at least one could be on the field Sunday in Kansas City. Rice said he knew his days were numbered in Denver, so he asked to be cut.
“Come on, they brought guys off the street, they’re better than me?” he asked. “I know I haven’t fallen from grace that far.”
Still, while Rice asked to be released, it didn’t break the Broncos’ heart. They were disappointed in his lack of production, and his boisterous manner was wearing thin. Rice continued in his open ways on the way out the door.
“I didn’t really like their defensive philosophy,” Rice said. “It was musical chairs. They played me at left end. I’m a right end. It just never worked there for me. I was under-utilized. I don’t think defense is an emphasis there.”
Rice rarely made his presence felt. He came into the season with 121 career sacks, second among active NFL players. He never got close to No. 122 as a Bronco.
On Friday, Denver coach Mike Shanahan said Rice was cut because “it didn’t work out.”
The Broncos thought Rice would be the answer, but it was clear the marriage was going south when he was put on the inactive list for two games in October.
The team publicly said Rice was inactive because he was still not healthy from an offseason shoulder injury while he was with Tampa Bay. He was cut by the Buccaneers in July. Still, Rice recently maintained that he was healthy, and he reiterated that Friday.
In the end, Rice leaves as offbeat as he was when came to town.
“I came to Denver like a gold miner, looking for fame and fortune, but I was never comfortable there,” he said. “I couldn’t get excited there. They took the sugar off my corn flakes.”
