Per the Post:
The Washington Redskins have exchanged contract proposals with free agent wide receiver Keenan McCardell, according to sources with knowledge of the situation, with the player rejecting their initial veteran minimum proposal.
Similar proposal was made by the Houston Texans, which I gamble he'd prefer to play for if things are cost neutral, since he already lives in Houston. There is some good news:
McCardell has ties to several people in the organization -- he played with quarterback Mark Brunell and defensive tackle Renaldo Wynn in Jacksonville -- and is familiar with some of the coaches here after being selected in the 12th round by Washington in 1991 (he never played for the Redskins).
We discussed this yesterday: smutsboy suggested 2M or less. I rebuked that as too much, though on reflection even I would have to admit that it might be a fair price, since we're paying (against the cap) Randle-El and Brandon Lloyd nearly 2.5M in 2007. The WaPo article notes that Keenan McCardell's 2005 season was far more productive than anything either of those two guys have produced. HH Contributor Burgundy and Gold suggested a coaching job, though I haven't heard that suggested yet. Would that be the end for Stan Hixon? TexSkins doubts he'd play special teams. If any reader(s) can inform, did Mike Espy? I don't think a 5th wide receiver has to play ST, but it certainly wouldn't hurt his chances of making the roster.
I'm going to stick to my guns and say minimum plus a modest signing bonus is all I'm willing to extend to Keenan. As far as I can tell the minimum salary for Keenan McCardell, a 10+ year vet, is 820K per year. Say he signs a 2-3 year contract, much more than a 1M signing bonus is about as much as I'm willing to stomach, and the minimum offer the team sent tells me that's probably how they feel as well. We have an extremely competitive WR unit right now with a lot of people competing for limited real estate. There is no guarantee that Keenan McCardell makes the team, so I would be hesitant to provide much of a signing bonus which will have to be paid out against the cap whether he makes the team or not.
Keep it low, Redskins.