Keenan McCardell?

[Jake]

WR McCardell considering return to NFL with Redskins, Texans
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

Free agent wide receiver Keenan McCardell, the No. 9 pass-catcher in NFL history, may decide to finish his career with the franchise that originally brought him into the league.

ESPN.com has confirmed through league sources that McCardell is in active negotiations with the Washington Redskins, who chose him in the 12th round of the 1991 draft. Released by the San Diego Chargers earlier this spring, McCardell is also discussing a contract with the Houston Texans, where he visited club officials and coaches three weeks ago.

There had been some uncertainty over whether McCardell, 37, wanted to continue his career in 2007. It seems, however, that McCardell has decided to return for this season, and now will determine where he will play.

A timetable for his decision is not known.

If he does return for 2007, McCardell will enter the season as the No. 3 active receiver in the NFL, behind only Marvin Harrison of Indianapolis and St. Louis' Isaac Bruce. In terms of receiving yards, he would be the fourth-leading active player in the league, and he ranks 18th in NFL history in that category.

McCardell has 861 receptions for 11,117 yards and 62 touchdowns. A two-time Pro Bowl performer, McCardell has registered seven seasons with 70 or more catches and five 1,000-yard campaigns. His career season was in 2000, when he rang up 94 catches for 1,207 yards for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The former Nevada-Las Vegas star has appeared in 199 games with 167 starts in stints with Washington (1991), Cleveland (1992-95), Jacksonville (1996-2001), Tampa Bay (2002-03) and San Diego (2004-06).

Last season, McCardell had 36 receptions for 437 yards with San Diego, but he played in only 11 games, was phased out later in the year when the Chargers began to rely on younger players at the position, and failed to score a touchdown for the first time since 1994.

Since he resides in Houston and might be a starter there opposite standout wide receiver Andre Johnson, most felt McCardell would sign with the Texans, who continue to hold open a roster spot for him. But the Redskins became involved with McCardell in recent days and remain a viable alternative for him.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2909774

I guess they don't have enough faith in Espy as the 5th receiver and still want a veteran group with Thrash as the 5th. I'm not sure he's necessarily needed but this would be an interesting move, though.

[everydayAskinsday]

it would be interesting.. Ive been opposed to most of the threads I've seen suggesting we bring in aging vets but Keenan is a classy guy and from what Im gathering the Redskins really feel like we might be able to make a run this year at the super bowl..

I know that seems far fetched coming off the year we had last year but even Portis has made the comment that he feels this group we have now has one year left to make it happen before they are broken up .. so who knows

[spudstr04]

I'll give you two words why I don't want this to happen...MIKE ESPY!!!

[HailSkins2007]

Hmm... I guess its cool with me.

[welch]

Maybe it means they made a mistake when they drafted Desmond Howard?

[HEROHAMO]

No we dont need an over the hill reciever. Keep Espy.

[Steve Spurrier III]

I'm surprised we're interested in him, and he in us, but he certainly can't hurt. Mike Espy isn't a good reason to not add a solid set of hands.

[Fios]

Might help the receiving corps to have a guy like McCardell in the fold

[Chris Luva Luva]

Jeez, this just screams typical Redskin signing.

1. The dude is darn near 40 years old. WHO THE HECK IS HE GOING TO OUT RUN?!

2. Let's piss off our current WR's and those trying to move up by signing a guy who is past his prime.

3. Let's sign at age 37 for what he was doing when he was 27.

4. Let's sign and hype this guy up just so he can fail miserably. It's going to take him a year to learn the offense just like it did everyone else. But in Redskins land, that type of stuff doesn't matter.

5. Let's hype the fans and make them think we're going to win the SB this year and that this clown is the missing link to all of our woes.

6. How many years does this guy have left in the tank? 7? Shouldn't we be getting younger?


Shall we add this grandfather to the list of Arch Deluxe and Bruce Smith.

I swear, we could sign a mentally retarded giraffe and half of the Redskins fan base would love it. OMG super bowl, now we have a Giraffe for end zone offense!

even Portis has made the comment that he feels this group we have now has one year left to make it happen before they are broken up .. so who knows

And this dude is the missing link? Keenan is the link? LMAOOOO

Redskins fans, PM me for a phone number to a local rehab facility. Or maybe I just need to start smoking whatever the heck some of you guys are on because...

Keenan, the missing link. LMAO

[LOSTHOG]

I'll give you two words why I don't want this to happen...MIKE ESPY!!!

AMEN!

[Fios]

I'm not certain why people are so reflexively against this trade, if the team feels a veteran wideout could improve the corps collectively, then why not? Who says he'd even be starting? The guy is being lured out of retirement, maybe after all these years he'd prefer to play a more limited role. I'm not saying I think this is a must-do signing but I'm not willing to dismiss it out-of-hand either.

[BnGhog]

He had the worst season of his career last season with 36 receptions for 437 yards and NO touchdowns through 11 games before being replaced. And you want us to sign the guy.

That is exactly what we need.

[Fios]

He had the worst season of his career last season with 36 receptions for 437 yards and NO touchdowns through 11 games before being replaced. And you want us to sign the guy.

That is exactly what we need.

No, what we need is reading comprehension:

I'm not saying I think this is a must-do signing but I'm not willing to dismiss it out-of-hand either.

Those stats you are so dismissive of would have made him the third-leading receiver on the Redskins last season. It's just stunning to me that at this point in the pre-season, people can be 100% certain that this is a bad idea. How I wish I had the foresight you people are so obviously blessed with.

[BnGhog]

I'm not certain why people are so reflexively against this trade, if the team feels a veteran wideout could improve the corps collectively, then why not? Who says he'd even be starting? The guy is being lured out of retirement, maybe after all these years he'd prefer to play a more limited role. I'm not saying I think this is a must-do signing but I'm not willing to dismiss it out-of-hand either.

Well Ill tell you why I'm against it. Its simple really. We have no need for him. Even in a limited role. If we need someone in a limited role we need to use Epsy.

I could see a trade for him if we were full of rookies. But thats not the case. Why would you clear a spot for him by trading a younger guy who is young and could be something special in the future for someone who don't have much left, your sure he will be slower, and don't know the offence just so he can play twice in a game and maybe get 200 yds in a season. We can do that with Epsy or one of our younger guys who could use the experience.

The real question is not why not, but WHY???

[Chris Luva Luva]

I'm not certain why people are so reflexively against this trade, if the team feels a veteran wideout could improve the corps collectively, then why not? Who says he'd even be starting? The guy is being lured out of retirement, maybe after all these years he'd prefer to play a more limited role. I'm not saying I think this is a must-do signing but I'm not willing to dismiss it out-of-hand either.

I've listed my reasons. There's nothing this guy can bring to the table.

We have veteran leadership.
We have top notch talent.
He's not taller than anyone we have.
He's not faster.
He's older.

Only ELITE players can drag their careers out and he was never elite.

IF we need to lure 50 year old players out of retirement then we have some HUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGE issues in our scouting dept.

But whatever, lets sign him. Let's add him to the list of those who come here for some extra change.

[everydayAskinsday]

1st off no one said he was the missing link.. I know I certainly didnt

and by no means do I think adding him means Super Bowl didnt say that either

what I did say is that this current group we have has about one year left together before they are broken up.. I believe this to be true. so why not add a veteran to the mix ( and I have been one of the people on here completly against making moves such as this) BUT if your a vet like Clinton or Moss and so on and you see this as being your last gasp as a group to try to make that run to the SB why not add a Vet like Keenan at a cheap price? No one is saying hes going to the Pro Bowl..but he could be a nice piece.. a solid 3rd or 4th reciever.. someone who wont choke in a meaningful game

I like Espy just like the rest of you but the fact is the kid has NEVER played in a big game.. has NEVER shown he can do anything on the big stage ..for all we know hes one of the many guys who looks great in Camp and the Preseason agaisnt 2nd tier players and then never does squat in real games..

heres our reciever Corps.. Moss(good)..Lloyd(inconsistent at best) ARE(gadget player) ..Thrash( solid) .. how would it hurt to throw Keenan in the mix to solidfy the group and to help bring along Campbell

[Chris Luva Luva]

Would it hurt? No.

Would it hurt to bring back Jerry Rice? No.

But the reasons for doing it just don't seem good enough for me.

1. Moss is a beast.
2. Lloyd wasn't getting thrown to.
3. ARE has solid hands.
4. Thrash has solid hands and is a reliable threat against nickel and dime backs.

We don't need Keenan. IMO, Lloyd is going to solidfy his position this year and did I mention that Keenan is 60 years old?

How much veteran leadership can he give over a 1-2 year span?

What can he impart that Moss or ARE (super bowl champ) can't impart?

Is it worth wasting (IMO) a roster spot for a 4TH WR just to be somebody's big brother? HECK NO!

IF we're going to sign washed up players and take a gamble on them, make it a DT or a DE.

[everydayAskinsday]

I get what your trying to say but you still havent given a good enough reason not to add him into the mix

I get that hes old.. my main point is this current group we have has in all likely hood 1 year left to make it happen ..get him in here for cheap .. I know Moss is a vet and ARE won a superbowl but Keenan would be a great Veteran leader for the reciever corps which we dont have no matter what you want to say.. and he will only help bring along Campbell..give him 1 year its not gonna break the bank or set us up for cap problems later and see how it goes

after this year IMO we are going to be making a lot of changes regardless so adding him to the mix doesnt hurt the team and I'd bet the players would love to have him ..aside from some of the young recievers who just hope to make the team

[Chris Luva Luva]

I understand your point too, we're not too far from agreement. I think its pointless, you think it wouldn't hurt, they're not that far away from each other.

[JansenFan]

My thoughts are forget the receiving corps. I don't know if his signing would help or hurt, but it's one more roster spot that has to be accounted for. I'd rather look at depth along either line for that spot rather than sign yet another receiver. We've got 5 guys that can play receiver in Moss, Lloyd, Randle-El, Thrash and Espy, plus enough young guys to push Espy for the last spot. Do we really need a veteran in the fourth or fifth spot? I just think this is wasting resources on a position that needs far less help than most others.

[spudstr04]

Free agent Keenan McCardell is in talks with the Redskins in addition to the Texans.

McCardell met with the Texans in early June. Washington has reportedly stepped up and entered "active negotiations" with the veteran wideout. Due to Antwaan Randle El and Brandon Lloyd's poor play, it's possible McCardell would compete to start if he landed in our nation's capital.

http://www.rotoworld.com

[Mursilis]

First, to those of you who have mistakenly used that word, this is not a proposed trade; according to the article, McCardell is currently a free agent and we wouldn't have to give up anything (other than a salary) to get him.

That being said . . .

We've got 5 guys that can play receiver in Moss, Lloyd, Randle-El, Thrash and Espy, plus enough young guys to push Espy for the last spot. Do we really need a veteran in the fourth or fifth spot?

JansenFan pretty well sums it up - right now, Moss, Lloyd, and ARE have pretty much got the top 3 WR slots locked up, so the best McCardell would likely be is the No.4 guy. And how often will the No. 4 receiver actually be on the field (except special teams)? We've already got a decent vet (Thrash, who is a solid, hard-working core guy) and a youngster (Espy or whoever may beat him out at camp) to fill out the roster, so there's just no place for McCardell here.

[madman]

I LIKE MCCARDELL,BUT WE NEED ANOTHER WR LIKE A HOLE IN THE HEAD.WHY NOT GO AFTER A DT OR DE. I FORGOT WE DONT GO AFTER OUR NEEDS JUST WHO LOOKS GOOD.IT WOULD TAKE PROBALLY ALL YEAR FOR KEENAN TO FIGURE OUT THE OFFENSE AND THEN HES CUT NEXT YEAR AND WE SPENT THE MONEY ON NOTHING. HELL LETS GO AFTER DARIUS DONAVAN TO.WHY NOT ITS A BIG NAME AND THATS WHAT WE LIKE ON THIS TEAM. I WISHED WE WOULD JUST GIVE OUR YOUNG BOYS A CHANCE TO PROVE THEMSELVES FOR A CHANGE.

[Fios]

Up and down and punctuation, say it with me

[Chris Luva Luva]

Up and down and punctuation, say it with me

Man, oh man I just burst out laughing in a deadly silent office.