The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

INDIANAPOLIS -- Laveranues Coles might be returning to the New York Jets.

NFL sources at this week's scouting combine said the Jets and Washington are close to a deal that would send the unhappy wide receiver back to New York for wide receiver Santana Moss in a straight-player deal.

No announcement is expected before March 2, with one league source cautioning that the two sides are hammering out terms of a trade and that no agreement has been reached.

"But my understanding," he said, "is that this is a real possibility."

The deal would make sense. Though he led the Redskins in receptions in 2004, Coles was unhappy with his role in the Washington offense and recently declined to renegotiate his contract. Moss, who led New York's receivers with five touchdown catches, is entering the last year of his contract and almost surely will command a large salary.

Moss' agent, Drew Rosenhaus, recently expressed an interest in obtaining a luctractive contract extension for the former first-round pick this offseason. But the Jets are more interested in obtaining Coles, an AFC personnel director said, because they believe he's a better receiver.

Moss, who caught a career high 74 passes in 2003 for 1105 yards and 10 touchdowns, is scheduled to earn $448,000 in base pay this year.

Jets' coach Herman Edwards declined to comment Friday morning.

"It's all talk," he said. "(Coles) is under contract so I'll leave that alone."

Coles led the Jets in receiving in 2002 but left when Washington offered a seven-year, $35 million that included a $13 million signing bonus. The Redskins have been working on a deal that reportedly includes Coles' agreement to waive the final installment of his signing bonus -- $5 million -- which is due April 1 -- in return for a trade, with his new team assuming the unpaid portion of the bonus.

*UPDATED*: However, sources said the Jets will not agree to a deal that includes the assumption of the bonus, and that for the trade to go through Washington would have to pay the remaining sum. They also said the Redskins seem willing to pay it.

While Coles led the Redskins with 90 catches last season, he had only 950 yards in receptions and only three catches for more than 22 yards. Coles was frustrated with the team's offense, and coach Joe Gibbs was frustrated with Coles' attitude.

In addition, the club wished he had undergone surgery on a right big toe that he fractured three weeks into the 2003 season. Since the injury he averaged only 11.8 yards a catch, and his only touchdown last year came on a trick play when halfback Clinton Portis threw him a pass.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Washington Redskins and New York Jets are in serious trade negotiations and, if a deal is consummated, it would have the teams' top wide receivers changing uniforms, ESPN.com has learned.

Under terms of the trade proposal, the Redskins would send unhappy wide receiver Laveranues Coles to the Jets, the franchise with which he actually began his career. In return, Washington would get four-year veteran wideout Santana Moss.

League and team sources, here for the annual predraft scouting combine, confirmed the discussions. While the parameters of the trade appear to be in place, and each club seems satisfied with the terms, there remain several hurdles. Foremost among them, as reported Thursday by ESPN.com, is that the Redskins must first create salary cap room to absorb the hit they will take in a Coles trade.

But one team official said on Friday morning that, if he were a betting man, he would wager that the trade eventually is completed.

Jets coach Herm Edwards, asked on Friday if he would be interested in being reunited with Coles, who spent the first three years of his career in New York, declined comment, citing NFL anti-tampering rules.

"Man, I'm not going there, OK?" Edwards said, laughing. "(Coles) is under contract to another team. I don't want the commissioner coming after me."

The Jets clearly feel, though, that Coles is the better receiver of the two. The Jets did not want to let Coles escape in 2002, but the terms of the restricted free agent offer sheet to which the Redskins signed him, a seven-year deal worth $35 million and including a $13 million signing bonus, were too prohibitive to match.

Washington, which has decided it will move Coles, who has complained about the lack of verticality in the Redskins' offense, covets Moss' explosiveness.

Moss, 25, was the Jets' first-round choice in the 2001 draft and the former Miami (Fla.) star has been a productive playmaker when healthy. There have been times, however, when Moss has missed time with hamstring and knee injuries. In four seasons, he had 29 starts in 51 appearances, with 151 receptions for 2,416 yards and 19 touchdowns. His best season came in 2003, when he posted 74 catches, 1,105 yards and nine scores.

He is entering the final year of his original rookie contract and is scheduled to earn a base salary of $448,000 in 2005. Washington will seek a contract extension with Moss before completing any deal for him, but that should not be a problem. Drew Rosenhaus, the agent for Moss, has worked with Redskins owner Dan Snyder on several contracts in the past and the two men have a strong relationship.

Before the Redskins can complete any Coles trade, though, they must first carve out a considerable amount of cap room.

The salary cap math involved in the Coles' mess: If Washington trades the wide receiver, whom they signed as a restricted free agent in 2003, forfeiting a first-round draft choice to the Jets in that transaction, they face a cap impact in excess of $9 million.

Efforts to have Coles bypass a $5 million deferred signing bonus due him on April 1, a move that would have dramatically decreased the cap hit, seem to have fallen apart. Coles originally had agreed to forfeit the $5 million, but only as part of an agreement that he would be released, and able to choose his next team.
The Redskins don't have the cap space sufficient to afford the $9 million charge that would accompany a Coles trade. But offensive tackle Chris Samuels, whose cap charge for 2005 is $9.5 million and who is due $6.5 million in base salary and bonuses, can provide desperately needed room if he agrees to a new deal.

Samuels, 27, is agreeable to an extension but the numbers must be right before the five-year veteran, a first-round pick in the 2000 draft, signs off on a reworked contract. As of Thursday afternoon, despite accelerated negotiations between the Redskins and Samuels' agent, an accord was not imminent.

Agent Jimmy Sexton in January sent the Redskins a contract proposal that was rejected by Washington officials. A month later, the Redskins would love to strike a deal based on those January figures. Problem is, with the big-money contracts already signed during this offseason by Walter Jones of Seattle and Indianapolis' Ryan Diem, the financial landscape for offensive tackles has been altered.

Jones received a signing bonus of $16 million on a seven-year contract with total value of $52.5 million. Although he is one of the better left tackles in the league, Samuels does not rate in Jones' elite class. But Samuels still will merit a contract with a signing bonus close to what Jones received, with a per-year average of at least $6 million.

2004 Scouting Report - Football Scouts Inc.
Name: Santana Moss
Grade: 68 | Key
Alert: B

Comment:
Moss is an extremely elusive and explosive return man and shows the change of direction skills and agility to make tacklers miss in the open field. Has great speed and was a track guy while in school at the University of Miami. He runs with great technique and shows the ability to outrun most defenders in the open field. Shows good patience and vision. Is an absolute playmaker that shows the ability to go the distance every time that he touches the ball. He is undersized and fearless so durability is always going to be a concern but he proved last year that he could endure a full NFL season as both a starting receiver and return man.

Name: Santana Moss
Position: Wide Receiver
Grade: 76 | Key
Alert: B

Comment:
Moss explodes out of cuts, runs precise routes and excels at generating separation working against man coverage. Changes directions without losing much speed in transition, shows effective double moves and will occasionally turns defensive backs around. Has the elusiveness to make multiple defenders miss and is a threat to make something happen every time touches the ball. Shows great body control and can adjust to the ball while it's in the air. Catches the ball with hands away from frame, can catch the ball at its highest point and will make some acrobatic receptions. Moss generally uses his quick feet and rare agility to avoid the jam at the line but he lacks prototypical size, he lacks the upper body strength to beat the jam when a corner gets into his frame and bigger corners will have some success muscling him out of his routes. Lacks bulk, doesn't show great power at the point of attack and offers little as a blocker though gives good effort. He is a marginal No. 1 and an excellent No. 2.

Skinsfan55 wrote:Yeah, possibly, but I'm starting to trust Gibbs more and more... if this seems like one of "his" guys, ala Marcus Washington, Chris ey etc. etc. it might be a nice boost to his career.

vtfootball07 wrote:This is made extremely difficult by the fact that Moss will want a fat paycheck. I don't like this deal straight up because I feel that a healthy Coles is better than Moss. LC's toe si the only issue. I definitely think that Moss could be a good burner to stretch the field for us, unlike Coles was able to do last season. I would prefer to get a pick thrown in as well, being that we would receive a guy in a contract year for a guy with a long term deal. I'm still quite skeptical about our cap situation years from now. Lets hope that Danny, Vinny, and Eric Schaffer prove everyone wrong and prove to be cap gurus.

trey53 wrote:Can't say that straight up Moss for Coles thrills me. I think Coles is hands down a better, tougher receiver, even with his busted toe. We should receive something more than a straight trade. Seriously, who is going to be our #1? Moss ain't a #1. Thrash? That's been attempted already. Jacobs? Unproven. I'd rather try get Abrahms or better yet try to get a second 1st round pick. (from any team)

I think we should get Sam Cowhart thrown into the deal as MLB insurance.

Washingtons#1fan wrote:I think that Coles is better than Moss. Then on the other hand i would take moss because you know he will give us 100% all year. Coles wouldn't do that because he wants out.

I would also like it if they threw in a pick as well.

Skeletor wrote:I just don't get how this trade works for the Skins financially. You take a $9 million cap hit in 05 for coles, then you also have to pay Moss the money for an extension. I think a trade only makes sense if Coles waives the $5 signing bonus payment.

The way I can see this working is if the Skins negotiate a contract extension with Moss before the trade, the Jets pay his signing bonus, then make the trade. Then at least some of that $9 million hit reduces Moss' cap hit in later years, but the reports don't seem to mention that scenario, only a straight up trade.

I love getting Moss, but I'm worried about the cap ramifications.