The agent for Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb didn’t answer directly when asked whether McNabb engineered his trade from Philadelphia to Washington by refusing to talk to other teams that were interested in his services. But agent Fletcher Smith did say playing for the Redskins was what McNabb wanted.
“Well, the outcome was the desired outcome,” Smith told the Washington Post. “Donovan has a lot of respect for the other teams involved in the process, and I won’t reveal them for many reasons, but when we sat down and reviewed all the opportunities, we believed Washington provided the best one.”
Smith said McNabb is happy to be working with Redskins coach Mike Shanahan and that he’s optimistic about agreeing to a long-term deal that will allow McNabb to play for Shanahan for years to come.
“I don’t know if it will happen, but I would say I’m hopeful or optimistic that a deal will get done,” Shanahan said. “Usually when you have a trade of this magnitude, teams want to get an extension done because of the commitment they’ve made to acquire the player. The trade was just consummated, and my first goal was to make sure the trade happened, so that’s where my focus has been.”
Said Smith of McNabb’s mindset now, “Donovan’s desire was to play for the Washington Redskins, that’s happened, and he’s very happy it happened.”
