[sportscurmudgeon]

Source for this HYPOTHESIS is an old friend who is affiliated with the front office of an NFL team (not the Redskins):

1. Redskins want to trade Trotter because his contract is burdensome and they would rather make a trade and take a smaller hit in terms of cap "dead money".

2. Trotter - and/or his agent - have been less than willing to renegotiate his contract because they feel that if he is released they can score another big payday as a free agent.

3. The Redskins told him to go out and make a deal for himself AND to show the league that they were serious about a deal AND to show Trotter and his agent just what kind of renegitiating they would have to do on the open market they told him he was not welcome in minicamp.

4. That action was to "loosen up" Trotter and make him more willing to work with some other team on a new deal that might land the Skins some cap relief and a pick.

5. In addition, Trotter's name was prominently mentioned in several of the complex draft pick trade rumors in Florida last week but all of them hinge on Trotter and his agent being a lot more flexible in their contract demands. It seems that Trotter and/or his agent think that he should get another big signing bonus if he takes a new deal and that bonus should be at least $10M. My friend says that is outrageous. My freind says that only the Redskins would even consider paying Trotter a number in that neighborhood and the Redskins have decided not to do it. He says Trotter will be lucky to get $5-7M up front and might have to take $4M.


This is "for what it's worth". Obviously, my friend has a stake in all of this since he works for a team that competes with the Redskins. Your mileage may vary...