cooley released

[Chris Luva Luva]

WOAH! I didn't want to believe it, but here it is.

Why exactly is this a "classless" move though? I don't get that. He's been injured for three years. You may or may not agree with letting ey go, but the team released him before final cuts so he has a chance to catch on with another team if he wants.

Actually two years ago only two TEs in the NFLhad better seasons, but you are right he was injured even if he did play all 16 games.

Why is this classles, well mostly because it is!!!

There wasn't a competion for TE in training camp. So they had already made up their minds that ey was only making the team if Nile Paul completely botched his try out and he tried to do just that!

If you know a well respected player is not in your plans you either allow him to seek a trade or you cut him as soon as you can. This move should have been made before FA since they could have still moved his cap hit to next year as a "early post June 1 cut". Or they could have done it in June.

Waiting this long when you had no intentions of keeping him was just totally low rent!

How do you know that he would he wanted to be traded? You can tell by his comments that he doesn't want to play anywhere else. It's totally possible that he wanted to stay here and try to make the team.

You're jumping to a lot of conclusions. Mike even said that he could come back. I'm sure at a cheaper price.

[skinsfan#33]

He wants a chance to be a starter on another team.

He could start for half the teams in the NFL.

[Chris Luva Luva]

He wants a chance to be a starter on another team.

He could start for half the teams in the NFL.

Not for 6M a year... And ey doesn't fit the mold of "Today's TE". I love ey as much as the next fan but you're exaggerating what he is. ey at this point in his career is a backup TE on this team and backups don't make 6M.

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

I was wondering if, they cut him, let him fish, then resign him to a more appropriate #2 salary..
I'd prefer that over seeing him go elsewhere.

Oh and ftr he was shopped to Oakland at least, according to the rumor.mill..

[skinsfan#33]

WOAH! I didn't want to believe it, but here it is.

Why exactly is this a "classless" move though? I don't get that. He's been injured for three years. You may or may not agree with letting ey go, but the team released him before final cuts so he has a chance to catch on with another team if he wants.

Actually two years ago only two TEs in the NFLhad better seasons, but you are right he was injured even if he did play all 16 games.

Why is this classles, well mostly because it is!!!

There wasn't a competion for TE in training camp. So they had already made up their minds that ey was only making the team if Nile Paul completely botched his try out and he tried to do just that!

If you know a well respected player is not in your plans you either allow him to seek a trade or you cut him as soon as you can. This move should have been made before FA since they could have still moved his cap hit to next year as a "early post June 1 cut". Or they could have done it in June.

Waiting this long when you had no intentions of keeping him was just totally low rent!

How do you know that he would he wanted to be traded? You can tell by his comments that he doesn't want to play anywhere else. It's totally possible that he wanted to stay here and try to make the team.

You're jumping to a lot of conclusions. Mike even said that he could come back. I'm sure at a cheaper price.

If this was a Salary cap thing they could have worked that out w/o cutting him!

Now maybe this is a factor of having a injuries on the OL and only one healthy RB out of the four, but it is a real gamble to expose ey. What if he if picked up off of waivers (if that applies and I don't know that it does)?

[ATX_Skins]

He wants a chance to be a starter on another team.

He could start for half the teams in the NFL.

Not a chance

[Chris Luva Luva]

If this was a Salary cap thing they could have worked that out w/o cutting him!

Dude, you're not realizing that this is real life with real people and individual thoughts, actions and desires. This isn't Madden where you offer the right amount of money and the AI is gonna accept.

COOLEY WANTS TO BE A STARTER. - That means he didn't want to be here to a degree...

However, we cannot afford to have a $6M TE on the bench.... Who simply catches check downs and 0 big play ability.

So, they agreed to part ways. IF ey decides he wants to come back for backup money, Mike will let him as was insinuated.

[Irn-Bru]

WOAH! I didn't want to believe it, but here it is.

Why exactly is this a "classless" move though? I don't get that. He's been injured for three years. You may or may not agree with letting ey go, but the team released him before final cuts so he has a chance to catch on with another team if he wants.

Actually two years ago only two TEs in the NFLhad better seasons, but you are right he was injured even if he did play all 16 games.

Why is this classles, well mostly because it is!!!

There wasn't a competion for TE in training camp. So they had already made up their minds that ey was only making the team if Nile Paul completely botched his try out and he tried to do just that!

If you know a well respected player is not in your plans you either allow him to seek a trade or you cut him as soon as you can. This move should have been made before FA since they could have still moved his cap hit to next year as a "early post June 1 cut". Or they could have done it in June.

Waiting this long when you had no intentions of keeping him was just totally low rent!

How do you know that he would he wanted to be traded? You can tell by his comments that he doesn't want to play anywhere else. It's totally possible that he wanted to stay here and try to make the team.

You're jumping to a lot of conclusions. Mike even said that he could come back. I'm sure at a cheaper price.

If this was a Salary cap thing they could have worked that out w/o cutting him!

Now maybe this is a factor of having a injuries on the OL and only one healthy RB out of the four, but it is a real gamble to expose ey. What if he if picked up off of waivers (if that applies and I don't know that it does)?

If what you are saying is remotely close to the truth, then he will be snapped up right away to become their starter. I think it's more likely that a team will sign him, but supposing he doesn't catch on . . . will you admit that you had it all wrong and were too optimistic about him? If Shanahan plus 31 other coaches/GMs decide that ey is at this point a backup at best?

[skinsfan#33]

He wants a chance to be a starter on another team.

He could start for half the teams in the NFL.

Not for 6M a year... And ey doesn't fit the mold of "Today's TE". I love ey as much as the next fan but you're exaggerating what he is. ey at this point in his career is a backup TE on this team and backups don't make 6M.

I didn't say at $6M. And what makes you say that? His last full season only two TEs out produced him. No, no one needs a top five TE!

He may not be a top 5 TE any more, but the last time he was healthy he was and until he proves that he isn't you still have to say he has the potential to be just that.

[Chris Luva Luva]

If what you are saying is remotely close to the truth, then he will be snapped up right away to become their starter. I think it's more likely that a team will sign him, but supposing he doesn't catch on . . . will you admit that you had it all wrong and were too optimistic about him? If Shanahan plus 31 other coaches/GMs decide that ey is at this point a backup at best?

The real question is, who will make them their starter for $6M? And if there is a team that will do it, we need to switch logos and team names. Because they'll really be the Washington Redskins. LMAO

[frankcal20]

This really sucks. It was inevitable and I thought that at least this year he could've been a major contributor to this teams growth and success.

Can anyone advise me of what the cap savings will be this year by cutting him?

[skinsfan#33]

WOAH! I didn't want to believe it, but here it is.

Why exactly is this a "classless" move though? I don't get that. He's been injured for three years. You may or may not agree with letting ey go, but the team released him before final cuts so he has a chance to catch on with another team if he wants.

Actually two years ago only two TEs in the NFLhad better seasons, but you are right he was injured even if he did play all 16 games.

Why is this classles, well mostly because it is!!!

There wasn't a competion for TE in training camp. So they had already made up their minds that ey was only making the team if Nile Paul completely botched his try out and he tried to do just that!

If you know a well respected player is not in your plans you either allow him to seek a trade or you cut him as soon as you can. This move should have been made before FA since they could have still moved his cap hit to next year as a "early post June 1 cut". Or they could have done it in June.

Waiting this long when you had no intentions of keeping him was just totally low rent!

How do you know that he would he wanted to be traded? You can tell by his comments that he doesn't want to play anywhere else. It's totally possible that he wanted to stay here and try to make the team.

You're jumping to a lot of conclusions. Mike even said that he could come back. I'm sure at a cheaper price.

If this was a Salary cap thing they could have worked that out w/o cutting him!

Now maybe this is a factor of having a injuries on the OL and only one healthy RB out of the four, but it is a real gamble to expose ey. What if he if picked up off of waivers (if that applies and I don't know that it does)?

If what you are saying is remotely close to the truth, then he will be snapped up right away to become their starter. I think it's more likely that a team will sign him, but supposing he doesn't catch on . . . will you admit that you had it all wrong and were too optimistic about him? If Shanahan plus 31 other coaches/GMs decide that ey is at this point a backup at best?

I will if you will!

[Irn-Bru]

There wasn't a competion for TE in training camp. So they had already made up their minds that ey was only making the team if Nile Paul completely botched his try out and he tried to do just that!

Disagree. I think they were hopeful ey could come in and play at a level that showed he was finally over injury problems. But the problem is that he lost a step.

And as others have pointed out, the fact that they are releasing him now gives him a chance to catch on elsewhere. This is simply not a classless move by the FO — there is no reason to try to drag other people in the mud over this.

[Chris Luva Luva]

I didn't say at $6M. And what makes you say that? His last full season only two TEs out produced him. No, no one needs a top five TE!

He may not be a top 5 TE any more, but the last time he was healthy he was and until he proves that he isn't you still have to say he has the potential to be just that.

You didn't have to say anything because that was his CAP figure this year... Hit me up when an aging backup TE is making that much in the NFL...

[Irn-Bru]

If what you are saying is remotely close to the truth, then he will be snapped up right away to become their starter. I think it's more likely that a team will sign him, but supposing he doesn't catch on . . . will you admit that you had it all wrong and were too optimistic about him? If Shanahan plus 31 other coaches/GMs decide that ey is at this point a backup at best?

I will if you will!

If I will what? Admit you were wrong about ey?

Seriously, though, if you can point to some specific claim I've made about ey that I was wrong about, or some test that would falsify my claim, I'll be happy to admit it. I've been wrong about many things in my life, and will be wrong about many more, but I've been down on the odds of ey's comeback for some time — more than a year at this point.

[chiefhog44]

WOAH! I didn't want to believe it, but here it is.

Why exactly is this a "classless" move though? I don't get that. He's been injured for three years. You may or may not agree with letting ey go, but the team released him before final cuts so he has a chance to catch on with another team if he wants.

Actually two years ago only two TEs in the NFLhad better seasons, but you are right he was injured even if he did play all 16 games.

Why is this classles, well mostly because it is!!!

There wasn't a competion for TE in training camp. So they had already made up their minds that ey was only making the team if Nile Paul completely botched his try out and he tried to do just that!

If you know a well respected player is not in your plans you either allow him to seek a trade or you cut him as soon as you can. This move should have been made before FA since they could have still moved his cap hit to next year as a "early post June 1 cut". Or they could have done it in June.

Waiting this long when you had no intentions of keeping him was just totally low rent!

Slow down dude. I love ey as much as any, but everything you are suggesting that the team should have done would be to the betterment of the team...NOT ey. The Skins released him after trying to make it work. He wanted that opportunity. Clearly they would have cut him early if they didn't think it could work and push the hit to next year...to the betterment of the team. but Ccoley didn't want that. They could have tried to trade him, sure, in hopes of receiving something, but had that trade not gone down, it would have taken even longer to cut him, thereby limiting his chances of getting signed somewhere else. Oh and by the way, ey probably didn't want to egt traded.

Everything they did was in the best interest of the player EXCEPT the fact that they cut him, which, by the way, was the right move. He's done bro. Maybe another year left in the tank, but that's about it.

Thanks for the memories soldier. You were true Redskin

[skinsfan#33]

There wasn't a competion for TE in training camp. So they had already made up their minds that ey was only making the team if Nile Paul completely botched his try out and he tried to do just that!

Disagree. I think they were hopeful ey could come in and play at a level that showed he was finally over injury problems. But the problem is that he lost a step.

And as others have pointed out, the fact that they are releasing him now gives him a chance to catch on elsewhere. This is simply not a classless move by the FO — there is no reason to try to drag other people in the mud over this.

Nothing changed between June 1st and now. They never let him compete at TE (say whatever you want, they didn't). So why not cut him June 1st and let him go to a team before camp starts.

I know why, they were covering their 6! If Davis, Paul or Logan got hurt, they still had ey. If Paul flopped at TE (and he tried to flop) they still had ey. Keeping ey under those conditions is LOW CLASS!

[Irn-Bru]

If ey had come in and lit it up, he'd have a spot on the roster. But he lost a step. There were reports coming from camp, player comments, analysts, that all said this. But if the Skins had decided to part ways back on June 1st, it still would have been a guess. They had every reason to bring him in for training camp to see if he'd work out.

And keeping open the possibility of retaining ey in case Davis or Paul got injured was not classless. That was another legit chance for him to make the team for one last year and receive the millions his contract scheduled him for. Lots of players around the NFL sneak in an extra year or two this way. "Class" has nothing to do with it. He really had two chances to make the team: show that he hadn't lost a step, and take advantage of someone else's injury or inability to play TE.

What if the Skins had released him on June 1st? I bet you would have been livid — after all, at the time you were saying he'd have more catches than our 4th-6th WRs combined. And then suppose Davis got hurt in early August. I bet you would have been all over THN saying that the Skins should never have released him, because now we'd be looking to have him start on gameday.

It's damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Maybe you will deny that you'd have been mad; it's easy to deny anything. But are you willing to say that you would have called a June 1 release a classy move, at the time? Especially if another TE got hurt in July or August? I bet not.

He has time to find another team if he wants. I just don't see how anyone could see the Redskins as classless in this. Classless would be holding him until the final cuts and then informing him via text message or something.

[riggofan]

WOAH! I didn't want to believe it, but here it is.

Why exactly is this a "classless" move though? I don't get that. He's been injured for three years. You may or may not agree with letting ey go, but the team released him before final cuts so he has a chance to catch on with another team if he wants.

Actually two years ago only two TEs in the NFLhad better seasons, but you are right he was injured even if he did play all 16 games.

Why is this classles, well mostly because it is!!!

There wasn't a competion for TE in training camp. So they had already made up their minds that ey was only making the team if Nile Paul completely botched his try out and he tried to do just that!

If you know a well respected player is not in your plans you either allow him to seek a trade or you cut him as soon as you can. This move should have been made before FA since they could have still moved his cap hit to next year as a "early post June 1 cut". Or they could have done it in June.

Waiting this long when you had no intentions of keeping him was just totally low rent!

Slow down dude. I love ey as much as any, but everything you are suggesting that the team should have done would be to the betterment of the team...NOT ey. The Skins released him after trying to make it work. He wanted that opportunity. Clearly they would have cut him early if they didn't think it could work and push the hit to next year...to the betterment of the team. but Ccoley didn't want that. They could have tried to trade him, sure, in hopes of receiving something, but had that trade not gone down, it would have taken even longer to cut him, thereby limiting his chances of getting signed somewhere else. Oh and by the way, ey probably didn't want to egt traded.

Everything they did was in the best interest of the player EXCEPT the fact that they cut him, which, by the way, was the right move. He's done bro. Maybe another year left in the tank, but that's about it.

Thanks for the memories soldier. You were true Redskin

+1. Sorry, skinsfan33 - I feel you, but I don't really think the team did anything wrong here. ey wanted to compete in training camp and got the opportunity. I doubt they kept him around just to string him along and cut him in August, and I don't believe the team would have released him if he was still healthy and playing like he used to play. Not buying it.

[langleyparkjoe]

<-- sick to the stomach.

Just one guy finish out his career here with us and retire immediately.. that's all I wanted from Synder.

I mean, we couldn't restructure ey's contract to stay with us for the very few years he has left?

Not sure who will pick him up at his age and with his past injuries but obviously I wish him the greatest of luck and I hope I can be at Fedex when he comes back to retire a Skin.

[SouthLondonRedskin]

For those that think Shanny doesn't give a toss, he's the story from CSNWashington with footage of Shanny shedding a tear as ey says his goodbyes...

http://www.csnwashington.com/football-washington-redskins/redskins-talk/Redskins-release-Cooley?blockID=764213&feedID=10316

[frankcal20]

How could ey light it up? Because of Youngs injury, he was asked to move over there and play fullback. If you go back and watch the games, that was where he was at 99% of the time and I believe only a handful of times he went out in coverage.

It is what it is. I think Mike and them were going to move on from Chris if Paul showed any kind of ability to transition and once he did after 3 games, they decided to gain youth, get cheaper players with more upside and move on from ey.

I have no doubt in my mind that Chris wanted to be here and he wanted to be a player on the team but I really do think that they were not willing to do what if he was going to be the #3 and at the rate of salary.

What I'm mostly PISSED off about is that we didn't figure out any way to get anything for him at all. That's what just doesn't make any sense to me. I understand his salary sucks but there's got a be a way to work it out with the new team to sign him to an extension or fully renegotiate it with him to make it a more trade friendly cap hit.

[Irn-Bru]

<-- sick to the stomach.

Just one guy finish out his career here with us and retire immediately.. that's all I wanted from Synder.

Chris Sammuels. Mike Sellers. London Fletcher and Santana Moss (probably). It's rare, but then again that's the NFL.

[SkinsJock]

This was a totally classless way of handling this.

If he truly wasn't in your plans, you should have cut him June 1 and moved on!

It isn't like he got beat out. Davis may and I repeat may end up being as good as ey, but he is one failed drug test away from being gone for a year.

Niles Paul is totally unproved and will most likely never live up to what ey did. And Paulson is just a guy.

This move hurts the team!!!!!!!!!!!!

This move was done in a classless fashion!!!!

This move will come back to haunt us!

Just WOW

I'm sorry that ey is not here

and

I am VERY appreciative of what he's done

BUT

please explain how in the world Mike & Bruce could have let ey go June 1st

then

in what way has ey shown in the past few weeks that he's a better TE than Davis?

[cvillehog]

My Jets fan boss just came in and asked me if ey had any tread left on his tires...