fish Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 Guys, I wasn't here. Can somebody explain why we didn't re-sign him? Was it the money (I'm sure it was). If so, what was he asking and what did he get from Denver? I hate it when we don't sign guys due to the cash and they end up signing for the same thing somewhere else! Fill a brutha in! :cool: Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 Gardener wanted, essentially, a three-year deal worth $20 million. That was with a $5 million bonus up front, $10 in base salary, and a secondary guaranteed bonus of $5 million at the back end. That's a contract worth $18 million against the cap in three years with $20 million paid out over that time. That is fine money for a 25-year-old cornerback. But not a guy with a history of back problems. The Redskins offered, initially, a $5 million bonus over 5 years and a total of $12 million over three, with a cap hit of $10 million over that time. They then upped their offer two more million on the bonus, but Gardener wanted more. Denver was willing to pay. That's why we don't have Gardener. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish Posted July 6, 2003 Author Share Posted July 6, 2003 Cool, got it. Thanks Art! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brave Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 And it was the RIGHT thing to do, despite that fact that our D-line is now not nearly as good as it was a year ago. We'll need those dollars to sign Champ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 it is amazing to me that Shanahan gave Gardener those dollars. the Broncos were not even a playoff caliber team last season and are starting over on offense with a new qb in Plummer. Transitions are also ongoing at WR where McCaffrey is 34 years old and Rod Smith is 31. this team is just too far away from being an elite club to have taken that big of a risk on a guy like Gardener. I think this is a move that will come back to haunt them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeletor The Invincible Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 I don't know bulldog, Denver ain't looking too bad this year. If Plummer can step it up they have the horses on offense to be a real contender. Lelie and Portis are some young guns which they hope can continue to develop. Portis especially looked dominant at times. Their problem last season was their defense, and I think Gardener will help them a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sir Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 Denver has no secondary though and play in probably the toughest division in the league. I think theyre the 4th best team in that division. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty dread Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 money money money money, MONEY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 They also wanted some of the later moneys contingent upon his back being healthy, they wanted to write the contract so they wouldn't be screwed if he signed it, hurt his back and missed a lot of playing time. He refused, and they did the right thing by letting him walk. ~Bang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimReaper21 Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 Where the hell have u been Fish? :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 Brave, Our defensive line, as a whole is not only nearly as good as last year, but, again, on the whole, better than last year. While not probably as good as a starting group, the fact that you have Smith, Zellner and Haley as your top three backups instead of Jackson, Cowsette and Powell is quite an improvement. The ability to have players with starting experience so deep on the bench allows you a great rotation we lacked the last couple of years. That alone should improve us. And if Jackson or Scott turn out to be players, that'll just be gravy. We still need a dominating playmaker and there is an open question as to whether we have one. Last year it was Gardener. The year before it was Wilkinson. We still have Wilkinson but he has a lot to improve upon from last year to be sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottb Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 Also keep in mind, by not signing Gardener, the Redskins were able to pursue their FA targets. With these new players, I believe the upcoming season will validate their decision not to overpay for Gardener. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brave Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 True enough, Art, but we don't seem to have much push into the backfield with this group. That's where my (and most others') concerns lie. I do like our depth but we have no one with the caliber that Gardner showed last year ... unless someone steps up and shows something we're not expecting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potato Sack Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 I'm sure I'll get flamed for this one, but, is it just me, or did Gardner rub anyone else the wrong way? Sure, he had more than his share of flashes of brilliance, but when it comes down to it, it's all about money. It's time to bring on some players w/ big hearts. I'm sort of glad he's gone. Weed out the greedy. Sorry, but unless we have a team full of players with a love of the game, we don't have a winning team. Bring on '03-'04! HTTR!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSkin Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Denver probably considered US to be the risk takers by signing Gardener last year. Since his back held up, they're assuming it will for the duration of his career. Fortunately we signed him for peanuts last year compared to what he's getting in Denver, so we wouldn't have been quite as screwed if his back gave out. Keep in mind it did act up at the end of preseason and into the early regular season, forcing him to sit out a few games. Huge risk by Denver. They're selling their future out on one guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins24 Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Gardner isn't a FA yet. And his cap isn't very big, so why resign him now? Gardner = WR Gardener = DT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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