Baltimore traded quarterback Joe Flacco to Denver last week, and things might have moved quicker between the Ravens and the Broncos because another team had interest.
That team? The Washington Redskins.
That's the story presented by a pair of Denver radio hosts last week.
There are a few important things to note.
Redskins team president Bruce Allen handles trades for the team, and it's possible he reached out to Baltimore on Flacco. That could mean just one perfunctory phone call, or a real conversation.
The reality, however, is the Redskins don't have close to the cap space needed to add Flacco.
In 2019, Flacco's contract will count more than $26 million toward the salary cap. The Redskins are only $17 million under the cap. Just on the most basic level, acquiring Flacco wouldn't have worked.
Can teams move salary around or cut players to add room? Sure. But keep in mind, Washington already owes QB Alex Smith more than $20 million this season even though he's unexpected to play. Between Flacco, Smith and Colt McCoy's $4 million salary, that would have been about $50 million in quarterback salary on the Redskins roster this season.
That's preposterous.
If you want to believe the Redskins were seriously looking into the trade, there are some loose ends. When the team acquired Alex Smith last season, the number one reason provided was that Smith wins games. Well, the same can be said about Flacco.
A 34-year-old quarterback with a Super Bowl ring and a long track record of impressive playoff performances, Flacco has a career 96-67 regular season record and a 10-5 record in the playoffs.
There's also this: Reports show Denver sent a fourth-round pick to Baltimore to get Flacco.
The Redskins don't have a fourth-round pick this year after acquiring Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in mid-season. Is it possible the 'Skins talked about a fifth-round pick for Flacco, especially because the team holds two selections in the fifth round? In turn, maybe Denver offered a fourth to beat the Redskins offer? Sure, it's possible.
But again, adding Flacco's contract to the Redskins salary cap situation would be insane. In the end, follow the money.
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