Redskins: 2012 Off-Season-Free Agency/Trades

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by Mechanix544

Mock Draft 4.0 - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

Hope this comes true.

The top 8 make perfect sense. Getting Blackmon at 6 would be huge for us and make doing the deal with us worth it, because they desperately need someone for Bradford to throw to. Jacksonville needs a WR too, possibly more than anyone else in the NFL. With Hillis leaving Cleveland most likely, they need a new stud RB. Claiborne will be the best available when TB picks, so it's a no-brainer. I would not mind drafting him for the Skins if somehow RG3 doesn't happen.


I could see this draft happening exactly.

[MTK]

I can definitely see the top 6 going down like that

[Ruhskins]

Interesting breakdown of VJax and Colston:

Tale of the tape: Jackson vs. Colston - Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Exactly.

And for those saying just pay him, what happens when you pay him and he goes off the edge of the cliff performance wise. At his age it's certainly a real possibility that his play could dramatically drop off at any time. Everyone loves the guy and of course we all want him back, but it's got to be a deal that makes sense for someone his age.

The biggest problem with Fletcher is two-fold: the state of the roster behind him dictates that the Redskins should have handled his contract situation a while ago. They just made an assumption that they could handle it easily during the month of February, and they were wrong.

Looking forward though, the problem is "we need a linebacker" and the only thing we have to handle that need with is cap dollars. It's not a strong group of FA LBs, but there's starters out there beyond Fletcher, and it makes as much sense now for the team to start exploring other options as it does for Fletcher to keep all his options open. Signing Curtis Lofton, Erin Henderson, or David Hawthorne would be quite an alternative.

I think there is a lesson here about the Redskins struggling to improve their roster because they can't ever get out of their own way, but replacing about 80% of what Fletcher would offer in 2012 shouldn't really be that much of an issue. There's enough out there that $5 million of cap dollars should be able to bring in at least one player who can handle the rigors of the position. It's just that you typically don't want to enter the offseason with two needs (MLB and safety) that didn't need to be needs.

[SmootSmack]

Redskins had the opportunity to lock him up a couple of years ago...and Vinny said no.

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Redskins had the opportunity to lock him up a couple of years ago...and Vinny said no.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Redskins had the opportunity to lock him up a couple of years ago...and Vinny said no.

Well, they've had no shortage of opportunities to get it done, they just didn't. I don't think it's just Vinny's fault or just Shanahan's fault. It's at least partially Fletcher's fault.

And now it makes as much sense to look elsewhere as it does to give Fletch the extra $2 mil/year or whatever he's looking for. It's just dumb that it ever reached this point.

[MTK]

With a guy his age I can understand letting him play out his contract.

Could they have approached him last year at some point. Definitely. Do we know if they did or not?

[celts32]

I would go hard line with London. Can't throw ridiculous amounts of guaranteed money at someone his age. It needs to be something they can get out from under with minimal damage if he suddenly loses it. I am prepared to let him walk if someone else shows him the money...

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

With a guy his age I can understand letting him play out his contract.

Could they have approached him last year at some point. Definitely. Do we know if they did or not?

It was definitely a decision they made to let him play out his contract. We know from mid season last year, perhaps as early as October, that the Fletcher camp was wondering what more the Redskins wanted London to show them.

In the end, I think they'll either re-sign or be able to replace him, but I doubt the Redskins will be better off at the LB position than they were a year ago, and good organizations try to make their strengths stronger every year. It sure seems like the Redskins are going all in on offense and pretending like the defensive side of the ball will just take care of itself.

At least, that's one way of interpreting Shanahan's excitement over stuff like getting Jarvis Jenkins back. We've heard little (if anything) about trying to upgrade Hall or Atogwe, so it sure appears like the plan is lose/replace Fletcher and Landry and then rest on the accomplishments of the other players.

[SmootSmack]

I still think he returns for 3 years, $20 some million (25 or so)

[Chico23231]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Redskins had the opportunity to lock him up a couple of years ago...and Vinny said no.

he is still haunting us. very poor decision not to, and now gonna cost us more

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I still think he returns for 3 years, $20 some million (25 or so)

That'd be a good deal, as long as the contract gets structured so that year three is pretty much a dummy year and the real contract is 2/14-16.

[celts32]

3rd year is definitely the key...hard to believe we will be getting anything out of London at that point. The old Redskins would say we will worry about that cap hit 3 years from now. I don't think we should do contracts like that with older players anymore. I trust that Bruce will structure the contract with that in mind and if London is not agreeable then he will be elsewhere...

[DC Tailgate]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I still think he returns for 3 years, $20 some million (25 or so)

I believe so, no way is anybody going to pay him what he's asking for - and if they do, I have to say let him walk.

I absolutely LOVE London Fletcher, but sometimes too much is too much, especially for a guy who is getting older and is starting to show injuries. It's easier letting the ones go who don't perform, but it'll be hard for a guy like London.