I received an email that put it best, succinctly:
[DJ Hackett] visits, gets an undisclosed offer, doesn't sign, heads elsewhere for more free agent visits.
And that is actually the case, per the Times:
Seattle free agent D.J. Hackett fits the profile that new Redskins coach Jim Zorn wants to add to an offensive arsenal that already includes vertically challenged receivers Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El. But that doesn't mean Hackett, who today became the first free agent to visit Washington this offseason, is going to wind up with the Redskins.
I don't know that we were ever willing to "risk it all" to pay players large moneys just to get them in town, but this is certainly an unusual trend for the Burgundy and Gold. In years past this team would not hesitate to grasp the players it wanted for sums not necessarily concomitant with their production or value. If we want Adam Archuleta, damnit, we'll have him. Who else wants DJ Hackett, though?
"This will all be up to him," Zorn said of Hackett, who declined comment. "We're not going to risk it all to try to pay him...
Hackett left Redskin Park with Tampa Bay and Carolina on his itinerary with a return to Seattle also seriously possible.
Could be Tampa Bay could be Carolina, but, more importantly, could not be Washington. I'd love to have a 6+ foot wide receiver but you won't catch me faulting the team for pretending as though they care, for once, about getting value in free agency. I always thought negotiations were player dominated when it came to Washington, though here is an instance where we name a price and the player walks.
The biggest news thus far in free agency is how we treated at least one of our own, though. Rock Cartwright will apparently remain a Redskins, and my thoughts mirror those of drWNC:
You really must enjoy an off season where the Redskins are resigning team members, not getting sucked into a stupid market and having the number of draft picks increased...
You're damn right I can get behind that, especially for a guy who I felt was the most consistent kick returner in the NFC last year. Additionally, since Nehemiah is still recovering from injury, it doesn't hurt having Cartwright about as a reserve fullback. It's easy to forget that, despite his size, Cartwright played fullback at Kansas State and started his Redskins career in that capacity.
In other news, I'm back, I've returned from vacation, and I'll be about this week. I should be pretty busy for the rest of March, but at least I'll be around. A gigantic thanks to TexSkins and others for holding down the fort in my absence.