Really funny NFL story

[JasonEvans]

This is (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Cardio-Kids-Redskins-give-McNabb-enormous-contr;_ylt=AlJbW8Fca09DMyZHVvetNjhDubYF?urn=nfl-285789) just hysterical!


The Washington Redskins and quarterback Donovan McNabb have agreed to a five-year contract extension that guarantees "Mac5" $40 million and could be worth as much as $88 million.

I am howling with laughter because I misread that story and for a second I could have sworn it said the Redskins had signed McNabb to a 5-year, 88-million dollar extension.

I mean, no way any team would sign a guy who is, at age 33, not even among the top half of the all the starting QBs in the NFL to a contract like that. It is sorta comical that I misread it so badly.

--Jason "I eagerly await hearing other react to this obviously fake story" Evans

[pacificrounder]

This is (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Cardio-Kids-Redskins-give-McNabb-enormous-contr;_ylt=AlJbW8Fca09DMyZHVvetNjhDubYF?urn=nfl-285789) just hysterical!



I am howling with laughter because I misread that story and for a second I could have sworn it said the Redskins had signed McNabb to a 5-year, 88-million dollar extension.

I mean, no way any team would sign a guy who is, at age 33, not even among the top half of the all the starting QBs in the NFL to a contract like that. It is sorta comical that I misread it so badly.

--Jason "I eagerly await hearing other react to this obviously fake story" Evans

You must be right. No way that they would give that sort of contract to a guy who doesn't have the cardiovascular endurance or the knowledge of the playbook to run the two-minute drill.

This is football in our nation's capital.

[cato]

This is (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Cardio-Kids-Redskins-give-McNabb-enormous-contr;_ylt=AlJbW8Fca09DMyZHVvetNjhDubYF?urn=nfl-285789) just hysterical!



I am howling with laughter because I misread that story and for a second I could have sworn it said the Redskins had signed McNabb to a 5-year, 88-million dollar extension.

I mean, no way any team would sign a guy who is, at age 33, not even among the top half of the all the starting QBs in the NFL to a contract like that. It is sorta comical that I misread it so badly.

--Jason "I eagerly await hearing other react to this obviously fake story" Evans

Easy. You missed the part where it was the Redskins. Their ownership clearly didn't take kindly to Al Davis being the king of horrible contracts.

[bjornolf]

I heard 5 year/$78M, $40M guaranteed. I don't think it's such a bad deal. McNabb's only had a few months in the system. I think they like him a lot. He's got one of the worst offensive lines in the league in front of him.

If both the team and the player are willing to trust each other, they can weight it HEAVILY in the first, uncapped year, making him cheap against the cap the rest of the time. Also, he seems to be a GREAT leader and teacher, which don't show up in the stat sheet. In a couple years, you draft a franchise QB and McNabb can teach him a lot, then retire as a Redskin. Seems like a pretty good deal to me.

[JasonEvans]

Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated tweeted (http://twitter.com/jposnanski) the following this afternoon--


When something bizarre happens, you have to consider there's something we don't know. Maybe Donovan McNabb has cured cancer.

He followed it up with the following--


Enjoying ESPN's analysis of why McNabb got $40 mil. Have not yet heard the "Dan Snyder is not very smart" theory floated yet.

--Jason "in light of what Vick is doing to the Skins tonight, I have to wonder what his price tag will be" Evans

[mkirsh]

LaVar Arrington (who is always VERY critical of Skins ownership) said yesterday on local sports talk radio that the McNabb contract after his benching was the biggest apology since Kobe's ring.

Personnaly, I don't think it's the greatest contract, but I don't think it is Jamarcus Russell level terrible either. The deal is $78M over 5 years (can get to $88M if they win a super bowl every year, which would be the best $10M Dan Snyder ever spent, so let's assume $78M or $15.6M per year). The contract is actually structured so that the Redskins can get out after this year and only pay $3.25 M (details here (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5812371&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines))

The contract does seem a bit rich based on how McNabb has played this year in a new offense with a terrible o-line, but if McNabb can regain the form he had in Philly the past few seasons (QB rating around 90) it's not a terrible deal. Seems to be benchmarked off Eli Manning, who has very similar stats to McNabb the past few seasons (McNabb's overall career is better, but Eli has a ring) and also makes $15M per year. Length of the deal doesn't worry me much as a Skins fan, as 1) I'm not sure 34 is old for a QB (Brady and Peyton Manning are the same age), and 2) they can always cut him in year 3 and take the one time cap hit.

The last thing is that there are really no other options. The Redskins don't have a high draft pick QB on the bench biding his time, and it's unlikely that they would get a better QB than McNabb in free agency. This is what years of bad drafting and trading picks looks like - having a old team and hoping a veteran qb still has enough gas in the tank.

[ivduke]

LaVar Arrington (who is always VERY critical of Skins ownership) said yesterday on local sports talk radio that the McNabb contract after his benching was the biggest apology since Kobe's ring.

Personnaly, I don't think it's the greatest contract, but I don't think it is Jamarcus Russell level terrible either. The deal is $78M over 5 years (can get to $88M if they win a super bowl every year, which would be the best $10M Dan Snyder ever spent, so let's assume $78M or $15.6M per year). The contract is actually structured so that the Redskins can get out after this year and only pay $3.25 M (details here (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5812371&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines))

The contract does seem a bit rich based on how McNabb has played this year in a new offense with a terrible o-line, but if McNabb can regain the form he had in Philly the past few seasons (QB rating around 90) it's not a terrible deal. Seems to be benchmarked off Eli Manning, who has very similar stats to McNabb the past few seasons (McNabb's overall career is better, but Eli has a ring) and also makes $15M per year. Length of the deal doesn't worry me much as a Skins fan, as 1) I'm not sure 34 is old for a QB (Brady and Peyton Manning are the same age), and 2) they can always cut him in year 3 and take the one time cap hit.

The last thing is that there are really no other options. The Redskins don't have a high draft pick QB on the bench biding his time, and it's unlikely that they would get a better QB than McNabb in free agency. This is what years of bad drafting and trading picks looks like - having a old team and hoping a veteran qb still has enough gas in the tank.

I agree with you... I think Shanahan knew that McNabb was insulted by his benching and felt that he may not give maximum effort the rest of the season without a new contract (it has been an ongoing issue). With this contract, they have him for as little as 3.25 million if they cut him after the year is complete. It is a value to pay a starting QB 3.25 million in this day and age for a half of a season. If he doesn't put up huge numbers..... he will be cut. Nothing lost by the Redskins (except for the value they gave up in the trade to get him). If they somehow make a run to get in the terribly weak NFC playoffs, it could almost be considered a great move. With Donovan McNabb it is all about motivation---we'll see if he has any with that sum of money just sitting and waiting to be collected.

I personally don't see any way he sees more than the 3.25 million due for the remainder of this season.

[JasonEvans]

I knew there was high comedy at work here. There are lots of amusing and perhaps even funny lines in this column (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Av0ABfeujhvqj1namdT27YFDubYF?slug=ms-footballneversleeps111610) questioning the McNabb deal.


There are many things beyond my scope of comprehension, from quantum physics to the emotional makeup of the women in my household to Richard Gere’s acting career.

And now, after Monday, you can add the Washington Redskins’ decision to give Donovan McNabb a five-year, $78 million contract extension at a time when the quarterback and his employers seem as compatible as Michael Moore and Sarah Palin.


If Vick had signed a deal earlier Monday that averaged more than $15 million per year, everyone in the NFL community would have been screaming, “He got ripped off!” by the middle of the second quarter.

McNabb? Well, put it this way: If reports are true that he hadn’t physically signed the new deal before kickoff, I hope he had a pen in his FedEx Field locker.

-Jason "I have not checked- what are Kornheiser and the other DC sportswriters saying about all this?" Evans

[weezie]

Still would rather be a Lions fan ANY day than a 'skins fan.
Could Snyder really be a worse owner than Fords?! :D

[77devil]

Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated tweeted (http://twitter.com/jposnanski) the following this afternoon--



He followed it up with the following--



--Jason "in light of what Vick is doing to the Skins tonight, I have to wonder what his price tag will be" Evans

Maybe it's hush money in return for withdrawing a potential EEOC complaint and discrimination lawsuit. Seriously though, the local sporting press in Phila. is befuddled. Has anyone in the Redskins organization watched McNabb's performances during the last 3 seasons?

[JasonEvans]

Follow-up, a month later...

The Redskins are benching McNabb (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5929516).


McNabb's agent, Fletcher Smith, told ESPN that the Redskins' decision is "disrespectful to Donovan. He has not been more disrespected his whole career than he has this season. It's absolutely ridiculous."

-Jason "I wonder if they set him free after this season" Evans

[Blue in the Face]

-Jason "I wonder if they set him free after this season" Evans
I hope that wonder is rhetorical.

[tommy]

The Skins are really football's version of the Clippers. When you have an owner who is egomaniacal to the extent that both Donald Sterling and Dan Snyder are, and that owner is utterly clueless as to what it takes to create and maintain a winning team in the modern era of professional sports, it creates a black hole where only bad things happen. Players that are excellent for other teams come to these franchises and are just disasters. Good coaches fail. High draft picks bust. The teams seem to suffer way more than their share of serious injuries. A culture of losing is created. The beat just goes on and on.

[mkirsh]

I hope that wonder is rhetorical.

Good thing they didn't give up two high draft picks for him.

At this point, it is really hard to be a Skins fan. At least the owner is old and he'll be out of the picture soon. Wait, he's only 45?...ugh.

[mkirsh]

The Skins are really football's version of the Clippers. When you have an owner who is egomaniacal to the extent that both Donald Sterling and Dan Snyder are, and that owner is utterly clueless as to what it takes to create and maintain a winning team in the modern era of professional sports, it creates a black hole where only bad things happen. Players that are excellent for other teams come to these franchises and are just disasters. Good coaches fail. High draft picks bust. The teams seem to suffer way more than their share of serious injuries. A culture of losing is created. The beat just goes on and on.

It's much worse than the Clippers because the Skins before Snyder had a rich and successful history winning 3 super bowls in the 80s/early 90s, a large and extremely passionate fanbase, and tons of cash to spend. The expectations are just much higher and they have many of the attributes of successful franchise, but those resources are being wasted by the worst ownership in professional sports.

[elvis14]

McNabb hasn't really done much this year. There's a reason the Eagles were willing to trade him within the division. Once the Redskins were eliminated from playoff contention, they switched starters to get a look at Grossman. Do I wish it was someone other than Grossman? Yes. Am I OK with them benching an ineffective DM to see if someone else can get it done? Yes. Do I wish they would have handled him a little better? Yes. The contract extension for McNabb was brilliant for the Redskins. They can get out of it and they are covered going into an year where they don't know what's going to happen with the CBA. My main concern is that they don't have a young QB they are grooming to take over. I'm looking forward to seeing what will happen with the new GM next year. I like what he did with the draft this year. Oh and I love that Fat Albert is gone. The Clippers comparisons are out of left field.