SPORTS BUSINESS
July 11, 2019 01:21 PM UPDATED
10 MINUTES AGO
Sports
Business
The 2012 season, Phil Dawson's last with the Cleveland
Browns, might have been the best of the kicker's career.
One of the most beloved players from the last 20 seasons of Browns football is a kicker.
That says quite a bit about the success, or lack thereof, from the
Browns since they returned in 1999. It also says a lot about Phil Dawson.
"I thought I had an understanding of the bond when I left in
2013," Dawson said in a phone interview on Thursday, July 11. "That's
only been proven more true since. During the playoff run with the Niners in
2013, the outpouring of support from Browns fans was just amazing. They just
expressed how happy they were that I got to experience that. That was
incredible."
Dawson played 14 seasons
with the Browns. He left after the 2012 campaign, which was one of the best of
his stellar career.
"It was incredibly difficult to leave," Dawson said.
"I didn't really have the luxury of time at that time to reflect and let
it all in. I had to go find a job and had to dive in and fully commit to my
next challenge, as I always have. In some ways, I didn't absorb that whole
process. It was extremely difficult. But there were no hard feelings because
the people making the decisions were new. It would've been a lot more difficult
if it was people I had been with for a long time. These were people I really
didn't know. In some ways, that helped, but it was difficult to leave."
In 2013, Dawson set career
highs in points (140), field goals made (32) and extra points (44). He was
perfect on PATs and missed only four field goals. The 49ers, with whom he had signed a one-year deal worth
$2.35 million, were 12-4 and advanced to the NFC championship game.
Two years later, Dawson
made an emotional return to Cleveland as a member of the 49ers. The
Browns honored him with a video tribute in the first quarter, and the gesture
was followed by a standing ovation.
"I don't have words to express how overwhelmed I was at the
love," Dawson said Thursday. "The Browns organization doing the
welcome-back video, that just doesn't happen for visiting players. The
feedback, the back-and-forth through social media, continues to be incredible.
I do some public events, and I did one with Firestone, a big corporate event,
and there was a huge amount of Cleveland people there. It turned into a dang
reunion."
Dawson left the 49ers after the 2016 season. He signed a two-year,
$6 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals.
The 2018 season was one of his most difficult. The 44-year-old was
limited to 10 games by a hip injury, and his five field goals and 30 points
were career lows.
Not exactly the ideal way to enter free agency.
Dawson's 21-season résumé,
though, stacks up with almost any kicker in league history.
He's made 83.8% of his
field-goal attempts, which ranks 22nd all-time, and his 1,847 points rank
second among active kickers and 11th all-time. His 305 games played are second
among active players and seventh in league history — two ahead of Jerry Rice
and three better than Brett Favre.
So is this it for a player who ranks second to Lou Groza on the Browns' all-time scoring
list?
"I haven't made any decisions yet," Dawson said. "Every
year, honestly, for the past seven or eight years, I come home in the offseason
and assess where I am and where my family is, and then we all sit down and make
a decision. We're in the process of doing that again."
Dawson and his wife, Shannon, have two sons, Dru and Beau, and a
13-year-old daughter, Sophiann. ("Three teenagers. Never a dull
moment," he said.)
Dru, who is entering his senior season, is the starting
quarterback for Vandegrift High School in Austin, Texas. Beau played tight end
as a freshman in 2018.
Watching his kids play is "an absolute blast," Dawson
said.
Whether or not he will do so in 2019 as a current or retired
kicker remains to be seen.
Dawson said there is
"always some back-and-forth" between teams and his agent,
Beachwood-based Neil Cornrich.
"One thing I learned
from the NFL: You don't really know if someone is interested until they slide
that piece of paper (with an offer)," he said. "Neil and I have a
deal. He handles all of that, and when there are legs to it, we start talking
about it from there. We have a really good working relationship and I really
value his opinion."
Dawson is excited for the Browns and their many backers as the
team enters a season with legitimate hopes to be a contender.
"The fans deserve a winner," he said.
And yes, he's heard from fans hoping he'll return to the team as a
free agent.
"It kinda gives me a glimpse of what retirement would be
like," Dawson said. "None of the people seem to realize that I used
to miss kicks here and there. It's pretty awesome."