Suddenly the NFL has turned into Major League Baseball and the NBA. The league that never deals has transformed into a swap shop. Washington is at the forefront of the trade front with Daniel Snyder doing his best Mark Cuban imitation. He's already dealt for Jacksonville QB Mark Brunell and currently has a proposed swap of Pro-Bowl players with Denver's Clinton Portis headed to the Skins or four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey and a 2004 draft pick.
Deals cannot be announced until March 3rd, when the league's trade moratorium is lifted, but it certainly looks like teams are dealing like never before. The Dolphins have a trade for Jay Feeley, while the Jets are also throwing their name in the hat for Bailey. As a matter of fact, the Redskins have talked to Houston, Chicago and Arizona, among others.
It comes down to paying big bucks for the player your team deems a building block. The Skins value a game breaking running back over a blanket coverage corner, thus the deal works for both the Redskins and Broncos. Both players are due big pay days, so the money will wash.
The Broncos have always simply fit in a running back and the results have worked regardless of the name on the back's back. The system seems to be the reason behind the running game's success. The Redskins determined they could not meet Bailey's contract demands and granted the five-year veteran and former first-round draft choice permission to speak with other teams about a possible trade.
This isn't the only deal that includes big names as the Bucs and Cowboys have talked about a possible trade that would swap receivers Keyshawn Johnson for Joey Galloway.
Johnson played three seasons under Bill Parcells with the New York Jets, so this trade makes sense, as Tampa would like nothing more than to shed his attitude and four seasons remaining on an eight-year, $56 million contract. Like Johnson, Galloway is a highly paid receiver who cost his team a great deal to obtain four years ago. Dallas sent two first-round draft picks to the Seattle Seahawks for Galloway, who has three years left on a seven-year, $42 million contract that he may have to restructure before a deal can be made. The difference is Galloway's attitude, which is more more team oriented.
This deal of highly paid wide-outs is an example of trading before cutting. A cut player still cost money on the cap, so it makes sense to try and swap one problem for another, hoping the change of scenery will change their fortunes.
The Dallas-Tampa Bay trade is about past money, while the Bailey for Portis deal of two players at the top of their game is about future money. Regardless, this seems to be the new direction of the NFL, which hasn't been a trading league thanks to the presence of non-guaranteed contracts. The term dead money means even cut players cost teams heavily towards the salary cap. Owners are tired of getting nothing for their cash, so it's time to deal. Yet another reason to keep tuned to the NFL this off-season.
http://www.jtthebrick.com
Deals cannot be announced until March 3rd, when the league's trade moratorium is lifted, but it certainly looks like teams are dealing like never before. The Dolphins have a trade for Jay Feeley, while the Jets are also throwing their name in the hat for Bailey. As a matter of fact, the Redskins have talked to Houston, Chicago and Arizona, among others.
It comes down to paying big bucks for the player your team deems a building block. The Skins value a game breaking running back over a blanket coverage corner, thus the deal works for both the Redskins and Broncos. Both players are due big pay days, so the money will wash.
The Broncos have always simply fit in a running back and the results have worked regardless of the name on the back's back. The system seems to be the reason behind the running game's success. The Redskins determined they could not meet Bailey's contract demands and granted the five-year veteran and former first-round draft choice permission to speak with other teams about a possible trade.
This isn't the only deal that includes big names as the Bucs and Cowboys have talked about a possible trade that would swap receivers Keyshawn Johnson for Joey Galloway.
Johnson played three seasons under Bill Parcells with the New York Jets, so this trade makes sense, as Tampa would like nothing more than to shed his attitude and four seasons remaining on an eight-year, $56 million contract. Like Johnson, Galloway is a highly paid receiver who cost his team a great deal to obtain four years ago. Dallas sent two first-round draft picks to the Seattle Seahawks for Galloway, who has three years left on a seven-year, $42 million contract that he may have to restructure before a deal can be made. The difference is Galloway's attitude, which is more more team oriented.
This deal of highly paid wide-outs is an example of trading before cutting. A cut player still cost money on the cap, so it makes sense to try and swap one problem for another, hoping the change of scenery will change their fortunes.
The Dallas-Tampa Bay trade is about past money, while the Bailey for Portis deal of two players at the top of their game is about future money. Regardless, this seems to be the new direction of the NFL, which hasn't been a trading league thanks to the presence of non-guaranteed contracts. The term dead money means even cut players cost teams heavily towards the salary cap. Owners are tired of getting nothing for their cash, so it's time to deal. Yet another reason to keep tuned to the NFL this off-season.
http://www.jtthebrick.com
