B&G Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 'Skins should shift focus to Arrington, Bailey By Darrell Trimble NFL Insider Updated: May 13 11:32 AM ET The Washington Redskins have been the most active team during the free-agency period. With the recent signing of defensive end Peppi Zellner, the 'Skins have acquired 17 players already this offseason. And although the numerous additions will all play big roles, the most important players the Redskins need to sign are two already on their roster. Champ Bailey and LaVar Arrington are in need of some new deals, but for very different reasons. Bailey's contract is up at the end of this season, and though Arrington is under contract until 2006, his ballooning salary-cap figures will cause the team to redo his existing deal. The Redskins are about $2.3 million under the cap space, so they have some room to work with, especially since they have a rookie salary cap of only $1,214,480 million. There have already been preliminary talks with Arrington about a new pact, but Bailey recently came out with comments that might make the 'Skins want to shift their attention to him. "I signed [for] five [years], and whether [the Redskins] talk to me before or after [the deal expires], that's up to [them]," Bailey told the Washington Times. "You run your business like you want to. I know what I signed, and I know I'm here for five years. If you want it to be longer, come talk to me. But if you don't, I'll be gone after five years." Bailey went on to say that he would still consider Washington if he became a free agent but acknowledged that market forces would make his return at that point highly unlikely. The Redskins need to get a new contract done before he becomes a free agent, because it would be more difficult for them to retain him if that happens. Normally, using the franchise tag is a no-brainer, but such a move would require an investment of approximately $6 million of cap space, and with $78 million committed to its top 51 players in 2004 -- the 'Skins are already over likely over the cap. A new deal for Bailey will be pricey. Dre Bly just got a five-year, $24.5 million deal, including $6.5 million to sign with the Lions, and he's not even considered a top-notch corner. Bailey, on the other hand, is considered one of the best in the game, and his signing bonus on the open market could be anywhere from $15 million to $20 million. The largest signing bonus Washington ever has paid is $13 million, given this year to wide receiver Laveranues Coles, who is not nearly as accomplished. But that move showed owner Daniel Snyder will open his checkbook for the promise of quality, so he shouldn't have a problem doing it to secure a proven commodity. "It's all up to [owner Dan Snyder]," said Bailey. And the amount of the cornerback's signing bonus won't scare the owner off. In fact, Snyder gave such a high bonus to Coles on purpose. His strategy was to use his available cash to lure Coles away from New York but then to lessen his yearly base salaries so that in total his deal would be similar in overall value to the one Atlanta gave Peerless Price. It's a high-risk tactic, but it's one that will likely be used on Bailey, keeping him in burgundy and gold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Symbol Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 Please, please Mr. Snyder, resign Champ and then redo Lavar's contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOskins56 Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 B&G this was posted yesterday. I beat u to it. http://www.extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27226 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B&G Posted May 14, 2003 Author Share Posted May 14, 2003 Sorry, Moskins56, I did a search but did not scroll down far enough to see your post. Lotta threads with "arrington" in them! Apologies to all. Mods, please delete this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awesome Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 I have faith that Snyder will not allow Bailey to hit the open market. If he's talking about keeping this group together for the next three to five years. In my mind, Bailey is the biggest and most crucial piece of that puzzle, with Arrington and Samuels coming in at a close second. I'll be pissed if we end up losing any one of these guys over the next five years and am optimistic that Snyder will do whatever it takes to get deals done. But, due to the nature of the league, it's quite possible that we could soon have to find replacements for them in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 IMHO the faces of the Skins now are Champ and Lavar with Jansen not far behind. We have to keep our core players especially the homegrown stars. And I'm confident we will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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