Posted at 4:09 PM ET, 03/ 4/2007
Dre' Bly wants to be a Skin? That's What I Hear
Numerous league sources, including several who have spoken with Denver cornerback Dre' Bly, said that the player is miffed that he was dealt to the Broncos last week instead of Washington. As I have reported, the Redskins were deep into trade and subsequent contract talks with Bly - a Detroit Lion at the time - and were dangling cornerback Shawn Springs in discussions with those teams.
Springs was coveted by Detroit and Denver, and very open to the possibility of a trade, but the Redskins could not match Denver's offer of two players and a draft pick (the Redskins had no suitable picks in the 2007 draft) and the Lions sent him to the Broncos instead. Once it was clear Bly was going to Denver, the Redskins tried to work out a swap with them, but according to a source, the Redskins asked for cap help deferring the costs of trading Springs ($7.5 million) and Denver refuses (the Broncos did not have a ton of space, either).
However, the Broncos have been unwilling to extend Bly's contract, which has one year and $4.2 million remaining. Bly has told numerous other NFL players that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, in the course of trade talks, was willing to give Bly a new contract including a lucrative signing bonus, and Bly has expressed his concern with remaining a Bronco with several of his new teammates in Denver. He's from Chesapeake, VA, wants to be here and wants that new contract. His agent, Kennard McGuire, initially declined to comment on the matter.
Springs, meantime, has ties to the staffs of both Denver and Detroit, and has said he will not take a pay cut to remain a Redskin this season (he is due to make $6.8 million and carries a high $7.3 million cap figure, which the Redskins have been eager to trim). The team approached Springs about taking a salary cut to remain here earlier this offseason, and he refused; his cap figures are huge each of the next three seasons and some team officials have expressed concerns about his age and injury history.
Sources close to Springs say he remains unsure about his status with the Redskins despite Coach Joe Gibbs saying repeated that he is "counting on Springs" for next season. Denver Coach Mike Shanahan is a big proponent of Springs's play, according to a source, and the Broncos and Redskins have completed trades in each of the past three years and are among the most aggressive teams in the NFL when it comes to swapping players. The Redskins remain very interested in dropping down from the sixth overall pick to acquire additional selections in this year's draft, and the possibility exists of another deal this offseason involving the cornerbacks and/or draft picks.
A trade after June 1 would cost the Redskins just $2.5 million in a cap hit on Springs (with $5 million coming in 2008). Springs is also considering approaching the Redskins about possibility relinquishing several million dollars in deferred payments still owed him in order to facilitate his possible trade or release. Many members of the Redskins staff are thrilled with the possibility of a cornerback trio of Springs, free-agent signing Fred Smoot and youngster Carlos Rogers, but should Bly attempt to force his way out of Denver, the situation bears monitoring, with the huge free agent contracts being thrown around this offseason not going unnoticed by Bly or Springs.
So keep an eye on this one folks. I think there is still a chance for more trade talks to resume. The Broncos are also very high on Ladell Betts, and could make a play in that direction as well as they entertain other RB options. Definitely something I will be monitoring.
