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TEMPE, Ariz. -- The difference between what a player thinks he's worth and what he's actually worth is usually a harsh dose of reality. Darnell Dockett will find out if others think he's worth what he believes he is in the next few weeks. The Arizona Cardinals released the defensive tackle on Friday, which ended his 11-year tenure with the franchise that drafted him. Arizona didn't think he was worth his $6.8 million salary or the $9.8 million cap hit that came with it. Listening to Cardinals general manager Steve Keim the past few weeks, this seems to be strictly a business decision. Dockett will now get a chance to test free agency and get a market value -- fair or not -- that will determine where he ends up. What can happen is quite simple. If his market value is lower than what the Cardinals offered, Dockett could return for Year 12 in the desert. If it's higher, Dockett might take the money and run. But there's a catch. Dockett has long felt he was loyal to the Cardinals, and how the recent negotiations went down might impact his feelings toward the franchise. Dockett has never liked the business side of football. Unlike other teammates, Dockett never wanted to change his image to conform to what corporate America wanted to sell. He wasn't big on endorsements or being politically correct to collect outside paychecks -- just check his Twitter account. That's who he is. At 33, Dockett is about to find out the business side of the NFL can be brutal. The Cardinals can use him next season, but they don't need him. He'll be 34 and coming off ACL surgery. Through Twitter, He has kept the public up to date on his recovery, but how that translates to the field has yet to be seen. Seeing him around the Cardinals' locker room last season, Dockett definitely slimmed down. He looked trim, and his body looked years younger. It's no secret the Cardinals need help with their pass rush, but more so from the outside than the inside. If the Cardinals can get Dockett for much less than what they were supposed to pay him next season, he'd be worth bringing back. In fact, if that's the case, they should bring him back. But if a happy medium can't be found, Dockett's legacy in Arizona won't be forgotten. It should be permanent, with his name eventually enshrined in the Cardinals' Ring of Honor. Dockett probably doesn't have much time left in the NFL. He knows this and will acknowledge it. More than anything, he wanted to win a Super Bowl with the Cardinals on his home turf the past season. But his injury Aug. 18 made that impossible. He might get another chance in Arizona, but the business of the game might prohibit that from happening.
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