The ship might have sailed on David Akers' career with the Philadelphia Eagles, but his regret over forcing his likely departure could very well be a different story.
Otherwise, why else would Akers have mentioned to the *Philadelphia Inquirer* the possibility of co-existing with Alex Henery, the kicker the Eagles selected in the 2011 NFL Draft, if the team and Akers were able to agree to a new contract?
Even Akers realizes that it would be a long-shot. His marriage with the Eagles effectively ended when he chose not to sign the transition tag the team placed on him before the lockout began. A month later, the Eagles gave their response by using a fourth-round draft pick on Henery, a former Nebraska standout.
It seems impossible to think that Akers has any chance of returning to Philadelphia.
But it's interesting to see that, since the draft, he has actually given thought to still being a part of the Eagles.
Here is the part that Akers seemingly failed to understand when he chose to play hardball with his bosses: He is a kicker. The fact he happens to be a very good kicker is notable, but it doesn't change the greater level of expendability that his job has when compared to those of other players in the NFL. And that begins with the notion that a fair amount of decision-makers in the league don't even consider kickers to be players.
When the Eagles wanted place a transition tag on Akers, even after he missed two field goals in their playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers, they expected him to give them only one response.
But when "where do I sign?" became something along the lines of "stick it where the sun doesn't shine," his fate was pretty much sealed. The good news, though, is that another team is likely to bring Akers aboard because another kicker will have come face-to-face with the position's expendability.
Follow Vic Carucci on Twitter @viccarucci.
