That's kinda my point. They didn't even take advantage of the injury to give him more playing time last year. Contracts = starters in Dullus. So, his best option was to pursue other opportunities.
I don't have any information about what salary expectations or offers were. But if I'm looking to be the back up at the games most important position, I'm going to want some market value for that and escalators if I have to step in. Why would any player want to sign a deal for NFL peanuts only to end up playing a lot for a very small % of what other players pay the position for?