MVN: Most Valuable Network

Some juicy trade rumors in circulation around Redskins Park right now, and frankly, very surprising rumors.  I'm going to make you scroll down to read them though.

Last week, we took a look at some of the decisions the Redskins would have to make this off-season.  Today, we will look at the contract status of the players in question, in depth.  Later this week, we will look at some of the players who will see their contracts expire, and then in another post, we will look at some impending free agents.  But right now, lets look at the players with high cap numbers and small financial guarantees.

For sake of this exercise, "savings" refers only to the amount of net cap space gained by cutting the player in question.  Obviously there are restructuring options to decrease the cap number while keeping the player in question on the team, but the "last capped year" restrictions on the CBA make this option less appealing.

I will give you the raw contract numbers, followed by my analysis of the player based on a comprehensive review of all the GT reviews.

Jason Taylor
2009 Cap Number: 8.5 million (8 mil salary + .5 million roster bonus)
2009 Savings: 8.5 million

Jason Taylor wasn't worth anywhere near 8 million dollars to the Redskins in 2008, but that's not the question here.  The question is, will he be worth 8.5 million in 2009?  I don't have an unconditional answer, but no player was hurt more by Greg Blache's schemes in 2008 than Jason Taylor (Andre Carter is a very close 2nd).  Playing at the left end is understood to be a whole different universe than playing on the right, which is why it takes a rare dominant player to be able to pull it off.  Taylor is that, but wasn't able to make the transition in one season.  His second season should be better.  I mean, flat out, if you are deciding between keeping Jason Taylor and Demetric Evans, which the Redskins will be, it's no decision.  You keep the guy with ten sack potential.

But that's for Greg Blache to decide.  The Redskins defense can win with the personnel they have right now, but if he's not going to turn the ends loose to get those strip sacks, you can save the money on Taylor and invested in a pass rushing LB or cover safety.  Jason Taylor is a good LDE for the defense that the front office thought they would be running, but not for the defense they did run.

8.5 mil is a huge cap number, but let's remind you of the obvious here:  He's Jason Taylor.  If you release him, you're releasing Jason Taylor.

But 8.5 million dollars...that could buy three Jason Taylors!  But...the Redskins don't want three 35 year old Jason Taylors.

Sometimes, I'm actually glad I don't run the Redskins.

Shawn Springs
2009 Cap Number: 8.48 million (6 mil salary + 1.71 mil 2004 prorated SB + 1.03 mil 2006 restructuring proration )
2009 Savings: 6 million

Thanks to all the restructuring we've done on Shawn Springs over the years, he's actually pretty safe.  The Redskins can save 6 million dollars by cutting him, and they still might do that, if a DB they covet hits the open market.  Thing is, Springs might actually be the starting free safety next year.  Do NOT assume that Chris Horton has locked down a starting job for the next 5-10 years.  He has shown no ability to cover lots of ground in cover 2 or rush the passer.  Horton is an unbelievably efficient tackler, and he'll get his playing time, but LaRon Landry figures to be the starting strong safety next year.  So can Kareem Moore develop and become the centerfielder?  It's possible, but I'm thinking that will be Springs' position next year.  Either way, the Redskins plan on doing a lot of FS stuff, but Horton and Landry just don't make a good tandem at all.

Springs is still good enough to be a starting cornerback, and versatile enough to move between nickelback and free safety by packages, and Blache loves that versatility.  Unless something weird happens, he'll be back, and might even be a candidate for extension.

Marcus Washington
2009 Cap Number: 6.52 million (4.5 mil salary + 1.17 mil 2004 prorated SB + 1.14 mil 2006 restructuring proration)
2009 Savings: 4.5 million

Honestly, he's probably played his last game as a Redskin.  There is no doubt the Redskins defense is better with Washington in there than when he's hurt, but Washington, unfortunately, is not a Blache guy.  Frankly, it's going to come down to either Marcus Washington or Jason Taylor, because both will not be back.  Cutting Taylor saves 4 million dollars more than cutting Washington, but Taylor can still make explosive, game-breaking plays, and Washington lost that ability about two years ago.

Strong side LB is about as fungible a position as there is on defense.  Rocky McIntosh might not be able to handle WLB physically, but he should be able to handle SLB, and that's why I figure Washington will move on.  Blades and McIntosh can fill the gap, and the Redskins will likely rely on a FA or 3 safety packages to fill the gap left by Washington.  That, and if they find themselves unable to trade out of the first round, they might choose to take an all-world linebacker to replace Washington.

So, if Jason Taylor goes, Washington might stay.  Otherwise, he's gone.

Cornelius Griffin
2009 Cap Number: 6.17 million (4.2 mil salary + 1.38 mil 2004 SB proration + .583 mil 2006 SB proration)
2009 Savings: 3.62 million

Griffin isn't going anywhere.  He's still the keystone of the defensive line, and every bit as good of a run defender as he has always been.  2009 is not a contract year for Griff, and the Redskins might look into drafting his eventual replacement this year, but he's a candidate for 2010 release, and he'll be back in the starting lineup next year. 

Though he will play the exact same position in the defense, he will likely be the 2nd best DT for the first time since he arrived here.

Phillip Daniels
2009 Cap Number: 2.61 million (2 mil salary + .3 mil 2008 restructuring proration + .450 mil RB due)
2009 Savings: 2.45 million

Daniels might go to make room for Demetric Evans, but I think the team is more comfortable with Daniels' versatility, and will probably opt to let Demetric Evans walk.  That's probably the right decision, especially if Jason Taylor stays.  There's no purpose to have both Evans and Daniels, and Daniels is a player who has aged very well.  He'll be 36 though before the end of next year, and could still surprise the Redskins with retirement, but you know Blache wants him back for what will likely be his final NFL season.

Casey Rabach
2009 Cap Number: 3.65 million (2.75 mil salary + .5 mil 2005 SB proration + .4 mil 2006 SB proration)
2009 Savings: 2.35 million

Rabach is a very bad player, with a very team-friendly contract.  Seriously, this is for all intents and purposes his contract year (his deal goes through 2010, but it will void after this season), and despite coming over as a free agent four years ago, his cap number is still shy of 4 million.  Unfortunately, despite the fact that he plays for pocket change, he's still not worth what we're paying him.

Rabach won't be a February release, so they'll wait for the market and draft to shape up and look into replacing him, but Zorn and Cerrato aren't ones for change for the sake of change, so Rabach has a good chance to be the opening day Center, which is bad news for Jason Campbell.

James Thrash
2009 Cap Number: .945 million (.845 mil salary + .1 mil 2007 SB proration)
2009 Savings: .845 million

Thrash is probably gone, and I can't see him being in the NFL next year.  He's been a consummate professional over the years, so you'd like to see him retire from the Redskins under his own terms, but the possibility that the Redskins have to sneak into his house at night and steal his playbook away from him still exists.  Just two years ago, he was a nice target for Mark Brunell, but his presence in the offense has typified the problems that Jason Campbell has had trying to develop

I'm getting two posts ahead of myself, but New Orleans WR Devery Henderson is a UFA, and likely will not re-sign.  He's a fantastic deep ball catcher, frequently among the most valuable receivers in the league off the bench, and would represent a great improvement over Thrash in the offense.

Todd Yoder
2009 Cap Number: .887 million (.77 mil salary + .117 2007 SB proration)
2009 Savings: .77 million

Yoder was horrific in 2008, and was clearly passed by Fred Davis as the No. 2 TE by the end of the year.  He will never be a threat again to catch Davis on the depth chart, so I could see him being release in order to free up a roster spot for a player who works hard and earns a spot in training camp.

Outside of these eight players, there is really no one the Redskins would consider releasing for cap help, so that's it.  The team must free up 3 million dollars just to reach the cap, plus enough money to sign an entire rookie pool (estimated in the 3 to 4 million range), plus whatever free agents they want (Kendall, Evans, and DeAngelo Hall lead the class of Redskins with their contracts expiring, and there is a strong UFA class).  So obviously, multiple players on this list are going to be released, and Springs/Taylor are extension candidates to lower the cap numbers.  But most of this list will be back, and back because the team feels they can contribute to a playoff contender in the near future.