Mark Brunell close to being traded to... Wahsington?!

[cthomer5000]

my take: this has Snyder written all over it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/column...len&id=1729627

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

The Washington Redskins are closing in on a trade to acquire Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell, several team and NFL sources told ESPN.com.




Parties to the negotiations were working this weekend to arrange a Monday meeting between Brunell and new Redskins coach Joe Gibbs. Because the NFL is under its annual trade moratorium, a deal can't be officially completed until March, but there is nothing to preclude the two sides from agreeing to details before that.



Sources said that many of the principal parameters of the trade, which would officially end Brunell's very productive nine-year tenure with the Jaguars, have been completed. They cautioned, however, there are some details on which the teams are still working.



None of the sources would say what Jacksonville will receive as the compensation for parting with a player who defined the quick success of the one-time expansion franchise. Jaguars officials acknowledged privately last week that they have been offered a second-round draft pick for Brunell by an unspecified team.



If the deal is completed, it would leave in question the future of Redskins incumbent starter Patrick Ramsey, the two-year veteran who finished the 2003 season on injured reserve with a broken foot.



That 33-year-old Brunell would not return to the Jaguars in 2004 has been essentially known for more than a year. The 11-year veteran, who led Jacksonville to a pair of AFC championship game appearances, sports a salary cap charge of $10.5 million for 2004. That includes a base salary of $6.5 million but, more important, a $2 million roster bonus due March 1.



Brunell probably would have to delay or forfeit the roster bonus because the moratorium on trades is not lifted until March 4.



It has long been a given that the Jaguars would either trade or release Brunell before that signing bonus was due. By dealing Brunell, the team will absorb just a $2 million salary cap charge, for a prorated signing bonus share, and will recoup $8.5 million of cap room.



If the deal is completed, Brunell almost certainly will sign a new, multi-year contract with the Redskins. Trade negotiations between the Redskins and Jaguars were accelerated in recent days. It will be left for agent Leigh Steinberg, who represents Brunell, to strike a contract accord with Redskins officials.



There were reports during Super Bowl week that the Dolphins would ardently pursue Brunell, either via trade or after he was released, but Redskins officials have been working with great stealth to complete his acquisition.



Brunell originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round choice of the Packers in the 1993 draft. After two seasons in Green Bay, where he appeared in just two games and logged only 27 pass attempts, Brunell was traded to Jacksonville in 1995 for third- and fifth-round draft choices. He assumed the Jaguars' starting job shortly into his tenure in Jacksonville and held that spot for eight seasons.



In the third game of the 2003 campaign, Brunell suffered an elbow injury, opening the door for rookie Byron Leftwich, the club's first-round draft pick, to supplant him. Brunell never played another snap in a Jags uniform.



For his NFL career, he has completed 2,196 of 3,643 passes for 25,793 yards, with 144 touchdown passes, 86 interceptions and an 85.2 efficiency rating. In his three starts last season, he threw for 484 yards and had two touchdown passes and no interceptions.



He has started in 117 of his 122 appearances and was named to the AFC Pro Bowl team on three occasions. The former University of Washington standout, of course, holds all of the Jacksonville franchise passing records. Under his stewardship, the Jaguars advanced to the conference title game in 1996 and 1999 but lost both times.



Washington had not been mentioned as a potential suitor for Brunell's services but Gibbs might be seeking a more veteran quarterback.



Should the Redskins land Brunell, it will be interesting to see what the team does with Ramsey, its first-round choice in the 2002 draft. The former Tulane standout started 11 games in 2003, completing 179 of 337 passes for 2,166 yards. He had 14 touchdown throws, nine interceptions and a passer rating of 75.8. Among the league's most sacked quarterbacks last season, Ramsey earned respect around the NFL for his toughness and grit and his potential is highly regarded.



Ramsey, 24, is under contract through the 2006 season and his salaries and cap charges are not exorbitant, meaning Washington could retain him and allow Brunell, in part, to serve as his mentor.



It is difficult to imagine Brunell agreeing to any deal to a team where he did not have assurances of at least competing for the starting job. Steinberg reiterated last week at the Super Bowl that Brunell still believes he can be a starter for several more seasons.



Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

[SegRat]

The last thing Washington needs is a QB. Ramsey is a very good QB who got the snot beat out of him last year. They should be more worried about a running back and offensive line help.

[Eaglesfan27]

I agree. I really like Ramsey's potential and it doesn't make sense to bring Brunell into that mix. Ramsey is developing nicely and bringing Brunell would surely retard that development. I think it would hurt the long term future for that team to some extent, and therefore as an Eagles' fan I hope they do make the trade.

[Leonidas]

I'm surprised Brunell would go along with this. He has said all along he does not want to go through the same thing he did in Jax with Leftwich pushing him out. He wants to be the starter without question. Meanwhile, Miami continues to flounder and let opportunities slip away with their dream team of front office ineptness.

[pjstp20]

Yeah I dont know why this fell through, Miami seemed like the perfect fit for him. Maybe he likes Jay and doesn't want to compete for a starting job with him. Oh well we have until March, maybe this deal will fall apart between now and then.

[Franklinnoble]

This makes a lot more sense than you're giving it credit for. Gibbs has always preferred veteran QB's, and he wants to win now. Ramsey's contract is very cap-friendly through like 2006, so Gibbs will let him chill on the pine for a few years and learn the game more thoroughly. By the time he starts again, he'll be an instant all-pro.

I'm not worried about the o-line - Gibbs' teams have always been solid there, and he'll make it work. I do, however, hope they get some d-line help - there's no hiding the lack of talent there.

[cthomer5000]

I don't think sticking your obvious QB of the future on the bench for a few years is in his best interests. It may be a good short-term move, but i think (if this happens) this may prove to be a bad long-term move.

[stevew]

This is simply stupid. Unless their plan to trade Ramsey to another team for a #1 pick. No Way in Heck I'd give up a #2 for Brunell at this stage of his career.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

I don't think sticking your obvious QB of the future on the bench for a few years is in his best interests. It may be a good short-term move, but i think (if this happens) this may prove to be a bad long-term move.

I agree 100%. If Ramsey hadn't started and this was his 1st or even his second year, I would say good move. However, Ramsey has started too many games and is too far along to suddenly sit him now. This seems to much like a win now move and forget about the future.

[MIJB#19]

But realistically, where would Mark Brunell become a starter?
The AFC East has Brady, Pennington, Bledsoe and Fiedler/Griese
The AFC North has Maddox, Kitna/Palmer, Holcomb/Couch and Boller
The AFC South has Leftwich, McNair, Manning and Carr
The AFC West has Gannon, Plummer, Trent Green and Brees/Flutie
The NFC East has McNabb, Ramsey, Kerry Collins and Carter
The NFC North has Favre, Culpepper, Stewart/Grossman and Harrington
The NFC South has Brooks, Vick, Brad Johnson and Delhomme
The NFC West has Tim Hasselbeck, Warner, Garcia and an open spot in Arizona
The restricted FA market has Marc Bulger, A.J. Feely, Mike McMahon
The FA market has Jeff Blake

So basically, where would Brunell have a serious shot at become the new #1?
San Diego? Arizona? Cleveland? Baltimore? Chicago? Oakland? Pittsburgh?

Edited to avoid confusion in the east and west divisions.

[pjstp20]

I think Brunell would have a good shot at being the starter in Miami. Greise will get cut as soon as possible because he's due a huge roster bonus and Fiedler has proven he's not durable enough to start 16 games.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

But realistically, where would Mark Brunell become a starter?
The AFC West has Brady, Pennington, Bledsoe and Fiedler/Griese
The AFC North has Maddox, Kitna/Palmer, Holcomb/Couch and Boller
The AFC South has Leftwich, McNair, Manning and Carr
The AFC East has Gannon, Plummer, Trent Green and Brees/Flutie
The NFC West has McNabb, Ramsey, Kerry Collins and Carter
The NFC North has Favre, Culpepper, Stewart/Grossman and Harrington
The NFC South has Brooks, Vick, Brad Johnson and Delhomme
The NFC East has Tim Hasselbeck, Warner, Garcia and an open spot in Arizona
The restricted FA market has Marc Bulger, A.J. Feely, Mike McMahon
The FA market has Jeff Blake

So basically, where would Brunell have a serious shot at become the new #1?
San Diego? Arizona? Cleveland? Baltimore? Chicago? Oakland? Pittsburgh?

Yes, Brunell would have a serious chance to start in any of those places, as well as probably Dallas. There are at least 8 QB situations in the NFL worse than Washington's (at least for starter). Miami is also starting to realize they will not win with Fiedler and are likely to cut Griese.

[Peregrine]

I don't like this move as a Washington fan. Ramsey has shown a lot of good potential, and I think could really develop into a fine player with some more experience. Kicking him to the bench will hurt his confidence and I'm not sure will do a lot for the team down the road, this has the smell of a classic Snyder short-term fix.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

But realistically, where would Mark Brunell become a starter?
The AFC West has Brady, Pennington, Bledsoe and Fiedler/Griese
The AFC North has Maddox, Kitna/Palmer, Holcomb/Couch and Boller
The AFC South has Leftwich, McNair, Manning and Carr
The AFC East has Gannon, Plummer, Trent Green and Brees/Flutie
The NFC West has McNabb, Ramsey, Kerry Collins and Carter
The NFC North has Favre, Culpepper, Stewart/Grossman and Harrington
The NFC South has Brooks, Vick, Brad Johnson and Delhomme
The NFC East has Tim Hasselbeck, Warner, Garcia and an open spot in Arizona
The restricted FA market has Marc Bulger, A.J. Feely, Mike McMahon
The FA market has Jeff Blake

I think you have your compass directions a bit messed up...

[Fritz]

this was step 17 in Evil Plan 2: Son of Evil Plan

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

I think you have your compass directions a bit messed up...

Well, duh, I'm living on the other end of the world...

Actually, I figured I replaced East and West with eachother, yet I felt no need to edit things.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Strictly FWIW ...

Was listening to ESPN Radio GameNight while driving home from Atlanta last night & some "expert" or another was talking about this report. Generally, the take was that Brunnell was likely to be expected to compete for the starting job but not especially being brought in to win the starting job.

As has already been mentioned in this thread, Gibbs likes veteran QB's, even if they're backing up a young starter. The implication was that Gibbs level of concern about the QB situation in DC was so great that he was willing to part with a 2nd round pick to relieve that worry.

[pjstp20]

Funny that Gibbs would be concerned about the QB situation concidering he's won Super Bowls with Doug Williams and Mark Rypen (sp?). Ive heard that Brunell definitly wants to start and doesn't want to compete with a younger QB and have a repeat of his situation in Jacksonville, this trade seems to fit neither of those criteria.

[Alf]

Rypien - But that guyd did win a SuperBowl

[Ksyrup]

I was in Jacksonville this weekend, and this was top o' the crease, headline news in Sunday's paper, and lead the Saturday night newscast.

I think they still like the guy there...

[pjstp20]

The Florida Times Union is reporting that Brunell wants to go to Miami, so this Washington trade isn't in the bag yet. However, I don't think Miami will give up a first round pick to get him, so they may wait for him to become a free agent. Which means if Washington (or anyone) is willing to give up a first or even a second round pick to get him, he's theirs. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally Posted by Ronnie Dobbs2

Yeah, the big money is on Washington giving up the fifth overall pick for Mark Brunell.

Not likely. At most, they'll send their second-round pick, and MAYBE throw in Rod Gardner.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by pjstp20

The Florida Times Union is reporting that Brunell wants to go to Miami, so this Washington trade isn't in the bag yet. However, I don't think Miami will give up a first round pick to get him, so they may wait for him to become a free agent. Which means if Washington (or anyone) is willing to give up a first or even a second round pick to get him, he's theirs. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

The article quoted above says that his roster bonus is due before the trade window opens. If that is the case, and if he would rather be a FA than get traded, he can simply not defer that bonus. Then, JAX would have to either pay him the bonus and trade him (not likely when a team is dumping a guy for cap reasons) or cut him before the bonus is due.

There may be other factors at play that influence his decision, but I would assume that he and JAX contracted for his roster bonus to be on that date specifically to give him that sort of leverage.

[Franklinnoble]

I think a second round pick is a fair price if it keeps Brunell away from the Cowboys... and, yes, I'm a Redskins fan, too.

[pjstp20]

Youre a Redskins fan? I thought you were a Pats fan.

[pjstp20]

BTW, I think the Jags are starting to overplay their hand. I'm hearing now that they are gonna pay him the roster bonus because there was more interest in him than anticipated. I personally think Brunell has three good years left in him. I hope the Dolphins can get him.

[wade moore]

I think the Jags are playing this wrong too.. They're starting to get too greedy for dishing an over 30 quarterback.. sure Brunell is one of the better quarterbacks in the league -- when he's healthy. He has had some injuries of late and is just getting older...

As a skins fan, i'm not happy about this potential move. If Brunell is brought in as a backup I think it's a GREAT move, but I just don't see that happening.. and as many others have mentioned, when Ramsey has progressed so far already, it doesn't seem to make sense to stunt his growth after all of the improvement he had this year.

[Honolulu_Blue]

[quote=

I'm of the belief that you can have two teams in any sport, as long as they are of different conferences/leagues.[/QUOTE]

I don't know about this. As an Italian friend of mine once said: "You can have many women in your life, but you can only ever have one football team."

Sure, there are certain teams I like more than others. I like the Seahawks (cool helmets, plus Steve Largent back in the day) and the Browns (my mom's from Cleveland), but I'd only ever consider myself a "fan" of the Lions.

No thread-jack so...

Brunell. I like him. I don't know if he's worth a second round pick though. That's awfully steep for a guy who lost his starting job to a rookie (injuries were a part, I know). He has had success in the league is (was?) mobile and has a decent arm. I know Gibbs likes veterans, but they only have 4 picks in the entire draft. They should be able to sign a vet. Granted he (whoever he is) wont be as good as Brunell, but he wont cost a 2nd rounder.