Joe Horn is getting desperate.The aging, if still highly paid wide receiver is so miserable in Atlanta that he came thisclose to saying he'd pay to get his release.
"I'm even contemplating giving some money back to further this thing along," Horn told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday. "I'm ready to get it solved and move on. The longer I stay here, the worse it's going to get."Horn carries a $2.5 million cap hit for this year, so if he was willing to give some of that back, it would go a long way toward speeding up the Falcons decision to cut him. Of course, by saying that, Horn just ensured that as long as he doesn't give any money back, he'll probably be carried on the roster until the final week of the preseason at the least. For Atlanta, he's just an expensive insurance policy right now, but there's nothing to be gained by cutting him early.
So he'll be buried on the depth chart, and will likely barely see the field, but there's no reason for Atlanta to make Horn happy. Of course, Horn's agent almost choked on the news that Horn was talking publicly about reducing his salary, and he quickly tried to backtrack, saying that Horn would be open to restructuring, but would need to ensure he still gets the money owed him.
Horn's suggestion seems to be the best answer here. If Horn is released now, he likely would get a decent chance to latch on with someone else and have a decent shot at earning a backup job. If he waits until the end of the preseason to be released, it's going to be a lot harder for him to play a significant role for any team this year.
