So DJ Hackett has officially joined the Carolina Panthers after he signed a contract, paying him 3.5 million dollars over 2 years, today. I have been unable to find the amount he was paid to sign, better know as the signing bonus, but I am sure it is as modest as his 1.75 million per year that his contract will pay him.
DJ had recently visited the Washington Redskins last week, coming in Wednesday night and leaving Thursday afternoon. DJ did what numerous free agents have not been able to do when visiting the Redskins. Leave without signing a contract. It seems that the Redskins finally made an intelligent decision when it came to free agency. Instead of throwing out millions of dollars at the guy, the Skins made an offer that many claim, wasn't even in the ballpark of what the Panthers offered Hackett. Now I dont know what that means, since the numbers of the Skins offer was never made public, but i can assume that if he signed a 3.5 million dollar deal that the Skins offer must have been for about 1 million dollars a year or less.
That offer would be UNHEARD of in the Washington area. Remember these are the same Skins that offered a mediocre Adam Archuleta a 6 year deal worth 30 million dollars and then gave him 10 million just to sign, thus making him the highest paid safety... EVER. Most of you will remember that Archuleta lasted all of one year with the Redskins and was promptly traded to the Chicago Bears for an awesome 6th round draft pick. Thus, the Skins not offering Hackett millions upon millions of dollars is a big step, in my opinion.
Vinny Cerrato, the Redskins defacto GM, has come out and said that the Redskins will have a new outlook towards free agency this year. He has said "we're not spending because we choose not to spend at the present time. If there would have been somebody out there, or a situation that occurs that warrants us to take a look at it, we would. And if it cost money, we would have looked at an individual who was a high-priced guy if we felt like it was something that made sense for us. In our opinion, there was nothing that we felt we wanted to get into a bidding war over for the Redskins. After our evaluations, what we needed and what was out there really wasn't a fit. Whether it be financially, or whether they [certain players] wouldn't fit in our locker room, there's a lot of issues that have to be evaluated" (Redskins Insider, http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/2008/03/wooing_hackett.html).
Unbelievable, the Redskins not stating a bidding war for a player. Almost unheard of. Well, for the first time I think they made the right choice . While no one can deny that Hackett has the physical tools to be a solid NFL wide receiver, the man hasn't been able to stay on the field. The 6'2, 208 pound wide receiver, missed roughly 10 games last year due to an ankle injury and has not played in all 16 games once in his brief 3 year career. Maybe he will find a way to avoid the injury bug now that he's with the Panthers, but is it really worth it? The Skins do have 7.7 million dollars in cap space, from reconstructing numerous veterans deals and cutting pieces of shit like Blloyd. However, wouldn't it make sense to finally build a team the proper way, and use that money to draft the right players and reward them when they live up to their potential?
I finally think the Redskins (and Orioles for that matter, but thats another post) have figured out how to run a franchise. I finally think good ol' Danny boy has realized that his spending ways of the past were in fact a stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, waste of time, idea. This non-signing of Hackett gives me real hope, real hope, that Zorn and Ceratto actually know what they are doing. It makes me think that possibly, just possibly, the Redskins might truly be heading in the right direction. HAIL baby.
Oh and more Erin Andrews.
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