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The NFL offseason is akin to the five stages of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
For the Redskins kicking off 2020, these seem to be extremely prevalent.
Trent Williams
Denial: Trent will be back in a Redskins uniform.
Anger: Trent screwed the team when we needed him most; trade his sorry ass!
Bargaining: We got rid of Bruce Allen and Larry Hess - now all we need is to work out a contract extension.
Depression: I can’t believe Trent wants to be paid like the top tackle in the league at age 32. We will never do that. We are sooooo screwed!
Acceptance: We can trade him for a relatively high draft pick, and at least there is free agency and the draft. Plus, trading him saves us $12+ million.
Dwayne Haskins Jr.
Denial: Haskins showed so much promise during the latter half of the season. There is no way we take another quarterback this year.
Anger: The coaching staff never wanted this kid to begin with. Why the hell did Dan Snyder need to get involved with drafting him! And then we have the damn DC media - kid can do nothing right in their eyes. If he Tweets; it’s BAD. If he stays quite; he’s not showing leadership. Just draft Tua!
Bargaining: Haskins can be successful if we can protect him, get him weapons, and tailor an offense to fit his skill-set. Rivera and Turner can make him productive.
Depression: I can’t believe how mismanaged this team is! It’s constant drama. Can we just have one offseason where we don’t have a quarterback controversy?
Acceptance: I fully trust Ron Rivera and his staff. They will make the right decision here, and I will support it either way.
Brandon Scherff
Denial: Scherff had a down year in 2020. NO WAY he deserves $15M per year! Plus, he doesn’t want to be a Redskin anyway.
Anger: If Brandon wants to be paid as the top guard in the league, let his ass go!
Bargaining: We can franchise tag him this year, and see if we can work out a long-term deal before June.
Depression: I’m so done with Brandon! Let’s just sign Flowers and let Martin take over at right guard. It seems we can never have nice things!
Acceptance: The salary cap is going to jump to $200 million this year, and likely, if a new CBA is ratified, go above $220 million next year. Even if we make him the highest paid guard this year, his contract will seem like a bargain in three years.
Ryan Kerrigan
Denial: Ryan Kerrigan has lost it.
Anger: There is no way Ryan Kerrigan should get a contract extension. Trade him for whatever we can get!
Bargaining: If we draft Chase Young, and pair him opposite Montez Sweat, we will be unbelievable up front. Anderson and Brailford can be rotational pieces.
Depression: I’m so sick of us over-paying veterans at the end of their careers.
Acceptance: Ron Rivera values Ryan Kerrigan and the veteran leadership he brings. With or without Chase Young, Kerrigan can still be a very valuable asset to this team. And, despite what I hear floating around, he was still our best pass rusher in terms of pressures in 2019. He deserves to retire a Redskin.
Trade Back vs. Drafting Chase Young
Denial: If we trade back in the 2020 draft, there is no way to tell if any of the prospects will be any good. One thing I can tell you for sure is that none of them will be Chase Young!
Anger: Chase Young is a “can’t miss”, “generational” talent! You don’t pass up on him! He’ll NEVER bust!
Bargaining: We don’t need to fill EVERY hole on this team in one offseason. Plus, we have $62 million in cap space. We can fill many holes with quality free agents.
Depression: All this talk of trading backs makes me feel ill.
Acceptance: If Tua is fully healthy, teams will be fighting for the right to draft him. If Miami values his services, we can possibly get three firsts(two in 2020 and one in 2021 - or maybe all of their 2020 first round picks) and a second to drop back just three spots. With those picks we can draft OT, LB and CB...plus have another high first next year. It would be absurd to not consider an offer like this if it was presented.
Feeling depressed? It’s ok, you’re not alone. Talking about it can make you feel better.