‘“We knew about it as we started the off-season program, a week or two before,” said McDermott. “At the end of the day we respect Derek’s decision, he’s been nothing but a joy to work with all the way back to my time in Carolina with Derek and then what value he provided last year, not only on the field but off the field. He was a guy who brought a lot of wisdom to our team and to the quarterback room in particular.”’