Positives & Negatives: Coles' release

[MTK]

Originally Posted by GoSkins!

Well, we have heard what Coles wants, and what Gibbs will let happen. What we don't know yet is what Snyder is going to do. I bet that Snyder brokers some kind of deal to get us a new receiving threat using Coles as the trade. I bet phones are going off all over the NFL over this development.

Here is a senario...
We agree to let Coles buy back his contract and he allows us to seek the trade and franchise him. This way, he can still seek the team he wants, but he is then obligated to make them provide some compensation for him.

I'll be very surprised to just see him leave without getting anything for him. It just doesn't ever seem to work that way in the NFL. If he does, I would have to believe that the Skins think his injury will never allow him to be worth his salary.

Is such a scenario even possible though? Will the NFL allow something like that? That's the real question.

[Schneed10]

You can't slap the franchise tag on a player unless he is a free agent. If you grant a player his outright release from the contract, you also cannot slap the franchise tag on him. Franchising him is impossible.

Secondly, trading him will make his cap hit about $10 million this year, which is impossible to absorb. Coles won't give back the signing bonus unless he gets the opportunity to become a free agent, so we'll get no help on the cap hit.

A trade is, therefore, impossible.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

:vomit-smi

That's all I have to say.

[Balmerskinsfan]

This sucks. Why are we getting nothing for Coles? Don't you think we could wrangel some sort of trade for him? We wouldn't get value, but maybe something. I hate to just let a guy like Coles go, especially w/the hit the salary cap will take.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

The hit would be even more outrageous if we trade him (I think.)

[saden1]

The Redskins are still a dysfunctional organization. Believe that!

[offiss]

Originally Posted by Daseal

For me, like I posted in the other thread, with many players being tough to resign and our top two WRs (at least?) asking for trades - this does not sit well. Do they think we don't have a shot at winning? That scares me.

I read Cole's apparent statement's, he say's his conversation's with Gibb's were over how he's being used, you mean he want's to catch the ball downfield and not at the line of scrimmage on screen after screen, and there is the problem these guy's are not being rewarded on offense for running, they run downfield and we throw a dump pass, and it's not like Gibb's say's we are encoorperating more downfield passing, he's say's we are throwing it downfield? What did I mis? That is what scares me.

[JWsleep]

If Coles isn't happy as a skins player, that's a big deal for Gibbs. And my guess is Coles is going to return a lot of the bonus money to make the move "cap friendly" for the skins.

If we can lose a disgruntled player who's been injury prone without getting creamed on the cap, it's not such a bad thing. It all depends on the cap hit and who we can get to replace him. If it's a big cap hit and Coles is actually healthy down the road, it's not a good thing. If it's a managable cap hit and Coles isn't ever going to be the threat he was, than it's a good thing.

I always liked Coles because he's a tough guy, plays through pain, makes plays like that one after an INT last year, etc. But everyone agrees our WRs need a change. If this allows us to clean the slate and get our passing game going, it may be for the best. Plus, the post article said Coles has been disgruntled and longing for Spurrier's offense (sounds like Daseal!). If that's the case, maybe it's time for a change.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Gibbs said that we are going to open up the playbook next season. What this means, I don't know, but it obviously is worrying some people.

Do I hear "Statue of Liberty" play anyone? Maybe "Hook 'n' Lateral"

[MTK]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

The hit would be even more outrageous if we trade him (I think.)

close to $10M

[Carnage]

WTF? we traded a first rounder for two seasons out of this guy. I'm glad he's kept his mouth shut, but if we can't draft well OR make better decisions in FA then we are truely fucked.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Most definitely. I hope our draft luck started with the drafting of Taylor last year and continues for years to come. I'd love to see someone be able to evaluate the talent like that and pick up a good WR. It's such a crap shoot with who will be the best playmaker. With the prospects it almost seems as though the choice will be who will be the most immediate playmaker.

[Daseal]

It is however possible to restructure Coles to a reasonable contract and trade him - in a way, we have some leverage. He's made his money, and he'll probably take a short contract/paycut to be dealt. If we sign him to a one year deal worth much less could we trade him away without a huge cap hit?

[TheMalcolmConnection]

It's all so complicated. lol

[Shane]

This move by the Redskins to release Coles reflects very well on the organization. You have to be willing to make these decisions and not get attached to the potential of a player when the facts are clear that he has to go - for more than one reason: his drag the team down depression and unhappiness, and his injury that has kept him and may still keep him from playing like he used to be capable of, thus making him overpaid and blocking someone else from being able to develop.

I hope people don't think that Coles' judgment is anything other than a self-centered emotional take on what is going on. I wish Coles the best, but we need "all for one and one for all" guys on this team to be a winner. Coles had 90 catches but that wasn't what he wanted. He didn't have the patience to allow the team to develop offensively. He has his vision of the kind of longer passes he wants to catch - and I don't know if he is frustrated about the way his injuries have limited him and is looking to blame others for that problem.