Shaun Alexander a Redskin? What have you guys heard?
Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2004 12:50 pm
Rumor has Alexander traded to Redskins for Bailey MIKE SANDO; The News Tri bune
INDIANAPOLIS - Player-for-player trades are rare in the NFL, but this one makes too much sense to ignore. Both teams would benefit in big ways.
The Seattle Seahawks would receive a Pro Bowl cover cornerback to pair with youngster Marcus Trufant. The Washington Redskins would get the running back Joe Gibbs needs to make his offense take off, plus ample salary-cap relief to sign more players.
Champ Bailey for Shaun Alexander, straight up.
The notion sprang to life Saturday while Gibbs, in his second tenure as Redskins coach, brushed off questions about pursuing Cincinnati running back Corey Dillon.
"As to who we'd be interested in, right now that's something we want to keep to ourselves," Gibbs said during a break at the college scouting combine.
Bailey, 24, is on the trading block because Gibbs' team has salary-cap problems, too few draft choices and a glaring need at running back. He stands to collect $6.8 million as Washington's franchise player, a figure that would vanish from the payroll if Bailey were traded.
Alexander is entering the final year of his contract with Seattle. The odds of him returning in 2005 seem slim, so why not get the NFL's best cover corner in return?
The salary cap often makes such deals prohibitive, but trading Alexander would come at little cost to Seattle because so little of his contract remains on the books.
The team is already some $15 million beneath the revised cap of $80.5 million. That's more than enough wiggle room to sign Bailey to a long-term deal even if left tackle Walter Jones played for the franchise-player value of nearly $7.1 million.
Why trade a 26-year-old runner as talented as Alexander and with no history of injuries?
Let us count the reasons.
Alexander covets a stage bigger than Seattle currently offers. Never mind that Cortez Kennedy earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors on the 1992 Seattle team that finished 2-14. Alexander seems resigned to second-class status in Seattle.
What better place to shine than the nation's capital? Unable to crack 1,500 yards in any of his first four seasons, Alexander could conceivably eclipse 1,800 with Gibbs calling the plays.
"He doesn't get the credit he deserves because he's playing in the late game or at time when other games are going on with other featured backs," an NFC personnel director said late last season.
Alexander would understandably prefer an offense centered on his considerable running skills, not the pass-oriented attack coach Mike Holmgren has installed to great effect. Besides, scouts privately note that Alexander's obvious disdain for pass blocking could prove costly for quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.
Put Alexander in a run-oriented offense, hand him the ball 25 times a game and suddenly his blocking wouldn't matter so much. He might also become more amenable to polishing his game.
Meanwhile, the Redskins would be getting the most prolific prime-time runner in the game. Alexander's Sunday night résumé features a 266-yard game and a five-touchdown first half. In 2003, he topped 110 yards rushing four times in the final seven games as Seattle nailed down its second playoff berth in 15 years.
Only Kansas City's Priest Holmes (61) has more touchdowns than Alexander (50) since 2001.
"Everybody says, even myself, that I need 25 carries to be at my best," Alexander once said.
"Without tooting my horn or being arrogant about it, I've been blessed to make plays with less than 25 carries. But I still believe if I have 25 carries, it's going to be crazy."
Might Washington be willing to find out? On the surface, Alexander appears to be precisely the kind of marquee player Redskins owner Daniel Snyder can't resist.
Would the Seahawks explore such a trade? A chance to land Bailey would surely pique their interest, particularly because Alexander is probably gone in 2005 anyway.
The team would have to find another running back, a much simpler task than finding a shutdown corner.
INDIANAPOLIS - Player-for-player trades are rare in the NFL, but this one makes too much sense to ignore. Both teams would benefit in big ways.
The Seattle Seahawks would receive a Pro Bowl cover cornerback to pair with youngster Marcus Trufant. The Washington Redskins would get the running back Joe Gibbs needs to make his offense take off, plus ample salary-cap relief to sign more players.
Champ Bailey for Shaun Alexander, straight up.
The notion sprang to life Saturday while Gibbs, in his second tenure as Redskins coach, brushed off questions about pursuing Cincinnati running back Corey Dillon.
"As to who we'd be interested in, right now that's something we want to keep to ourselves," Gibbs said during a break at the college scouting combine.
Bailey, 24, is on the trading block because Gibbs' team has salary-cap problems, too few draft choices and a glaring need at running back. He stands to collect $6.8 million as Washington's franchise player, a figure that would vanish from the payroll if Bailey were traded.
Alexander is entering the final year of his contract with Seattle. The odds of him returning in 2005 seem slim, so why not get the NFL's best cover corner in return?
The salary cap often makes such deals prohibitive, but trading Alexander would come at little cost to Seattle because so little of his contract remains on the books.
The team is already some $15 million beneath the revised cap of $80.5 million. That's more than enough wiggle room to sign Bailey to a long-term deal even if left tackle Walter Jones played for the franchise-player value of nearly $7.1 million.
Why trade a 26-year-old runner as talented as Alexander and with no history of injuries?
Let us count the reasons.
Alexander covets a stage bigger than Seattle currently offers. Never mind that Cortez Kennedy earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors on the 1992 Seattle team that finished 2-14. Alexander seems resigned to second-class status in Seattle.
What better place to shine than the nation's capital? Unable to crack 1,500 yards in any of his first four seasons, Alexander could conceivably eclipse 1,800 with Gibbs calling the plays.
"He doesn't get the credit he deserves because he's playing in the late game or at time when other games are going on with other featured backs," an NFC personnel director said late last season.
Alexander would understandably prefer an offense centered on his considerable running skills, not the pass-oriented attack coach Mike Holmgren has installed to great effect. Besides, scouts privately note that Alexander's obvious disdain for pass blocking could prove costly for quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.
Put Alexander in a run-oriented offense, hand him the ball 25 times a game and suddenly his blocking wouldn't matter so much. He might also become more amenable to polishing his game.
Meanwhile, the Redskins would be getting the most prolific prime-time runner in the game. Alexander's Sunday night résumé features a 266-yard game and a five-touchdown first half. In 2003, he topped 110 yards rushing four times in the final seven games as Seattle nailed down its second playoff berth in 15 years.
Only Kansas City's Priest Holmes (61) has more touchdowns than Alexander (50) since 2001.
"Everybody says, even myself, that I need 25 carries to be at my best," Alexander once said.
"Without tooting my horn or being arrogant about it, I've been blessed to make plays with less than 25 carries. But I still believe if I have 25 carries, it's going to be crazy."
Might Washington be willing to find out? On the surface, Alexander appears to be precisely the kind of marquee player Redskins owner Daniel Snyder can't resist.
Would the Seahawks explore such a trade? A chance to land Bailey would surely pique their interest, particularly because Alexander is probably gone in 2005 anyway.
The team would have to find another running back, a much simpler task than finding a shutdown corner.
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