Ramsey wants out!
Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2004 6:17 pm
With Brunell's arrival in Washington, incumbent Ramsey will ask for trade
Posted: Friday February 20, 2004 4:31PM; Updated: Friday February 20, 2004 4:31PM
INDIANAPOLIS -- Now that Washington and Jacksonville have their long-anticipated Mark Brunell trade in place, just awaiting the March 3 opening of the NFL's trading period, the focus immediately shifts to what becomes of the Redskins' incumbent starting quarterback, Patrick Ramsey.
Ramsey's agent, Jimmy Sexton, said he will begin lobbying Redskins owner Daniel Snyder for a trade Friday night, when the two are scheduled to dine together at some Indianapolis restaurant. Both are in town in conjunction with the NFL Scouting Combine, which runs until early next week.
When asked what it would take to convince Washington to trade Ramsey, who is entering just his third NFL season, Sexton made it clear that his client's dissatisfaction with the Brunell acquisition will be made known.
"It's going to take the realization [by the Redskins] that this kid is not going to be a happy camper,'' Sexton said. "It's fair to say Patrick wants me to seek a trade. Why wouldn't he seek a trade?''
Brunell and the Redskins late Thursday agreed upon a seven-year contract that will pay him $43.6 million, including an $8.6 million signing bonus that is deferred over the first four years of the deal. In essence, the contract is a four-year, $20 million deal that was elongated for salary-cap purposes. The Redskins will ship their third-round pick this year to Jacksonville in return for Brunell.
Clearly, Washington is paying Brunell starter's money, and Ramsey is not buying the pretense that new Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs intends to make his quarterback job an open competition.
"Our whole contention has been it's not a competition when you pay one guy 40-something million dollars,'' Sexton said. "In this salary-cap era, you start the guy [you paid that to] at least for a year or two, right? So this is a farce that there's going to be competition. It's not right. It's not going to be competition.''
Competition or not, Ramsey and Sexton likely face an uphill battle in getting Gibbs and Washington to see the wisdom of their logic. In an era when every NFL team feels the need to have a strong backup option, Ramsey represents a young, cheap alternative to Brunell, who will be 34 in September.
Ramsey's salary-cap number is a very modest $1.5 million this season, and while Snyder might be sympathetic to Ramsey's desire to find another starting opportunity, Gibbs is not expected to seriously entertain trade offers. That could change if Ramsey makes his unhappiness with the quarterback depth chart a problem situation for the organization, but for now Gibbs plans to continue to reassure Ramsey that he remains firmly in the club's future plans.
Ramsey's camp is prepared for their trade efforts to play out over the course of several weeks, with the hope of developing a robust market for his services. Miami is believed to be the most likely suitor if Ramsey is shopped, with the quarterback-desperate Dolphins potentially even paying the price of their first-round pick in trade.
Another potential trade partner for the Redskins, albeit an extreme long shot given their NFC East rivalry? The Cowboys, who still might be in the market to upgrade from starting quarterback Quincy
Posted: Friday February 20, 2004 4:31PM; Updated: Friday February 20, 2004 4:31PM
INDIANAPOLIS -- Now that Washington and Jacksonville have their long-anticipated Mark Brunell trade in place, just awaiting the March 3 opening of the NFL's trading period, the focus immediately shifts to what becomes of the Redskins' incumbent starting quarterback, Patrick Ramsey.
Ramsey's agent, Jimmy Sexton, said he will begin lobbying Redskins owner Daniel Snyder for a trade Friday night, when the two are scheduled to dine together at some Indianapolis restaurant. Both are in town in conjunction with the NFL Scouting Combine, which runs until early next week.
When asked what it would take to convince Washington to trade Ramsey, who is entering just his third NFL season, Sexton made it clear that his client's dissatisfaction with the Brunell acquisition will be made known.
"It's going to take the realization [by the Redskins] that this kid is not going to be a happy camper,'' Sexton said. "It's fair to say Patrick wants me to seek a trade. Why wouldn't he seek a trade?''
Brunell and the Redskins late Thursday agreed upon a seven-year contract that will pay him $43.6 million, including an $8.6 million signing bonus that is deferred over the first four years of the deal. In essence, the contract is a four-year, $20 million deal that was elongated for salary-cap purposes. The Redskins will ship their third-round pick this year to Jacksonville in return for Brunell.
Clearly, Washington is paying Brunell starter's money, and Ramsey is not buying the pretense that new Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs intends to make his quarterback job an open competition.
"Our whole contention has been it's not a competition when you pay one guy 40-something million dollars,'' Sexton said. "In this salary-cap era, you start the guy [you paid that to] at least for a year or two, right? So this is a farce that there's going to be competition. It's not right. It's not going to be competition.''
Competition or not, Ramsey and Sexton likely face an uphill battle in getting Gibbs and Washington to see the wisdom of their logic. In an era when every NFL team feels the need to have a strong backup option, Ramsey represents a young, cheap alternative to Brunell, who will be 34 in September.
Ramsey's salary-cap number is a very modest $1.5 million this season, and while Snyder might be sympathetic to Ramsey's desire to find another starting opportunity, Gibbs is not expected to seriously entertain trade offers. That could change if Ramsey makes his unhappiness with the quarterback depth chart a problem situation for the organization, but for now Gibbs plans to continue to reassure Ramsey that he remains firmly in the club's future plans.
Ramsey's camp is prepared for their trade efforts to play out over the course of several weeks, with the hope of developing a robust market for his services. Miami is believed to be the most likely suitor if Ramsey is shopped, with the quarterback-desperate Dolphins potentially even paying the price of their first-round pick in trade.
Another potential trade partner for the Redskins, albeit an extreme long shot given their NFC East rivalry? The Cowboys, who still might be in the market to upgrade from starting quarterback Quincy
Good one 666 - Do I detect alittle Animal House Humor!! 
