Ladell Betts has been a shining light in this dark season for the Redskins. He’s putting up career best numbers for a team that’s fallen well below expectations. Since Clinton Portis has gone out, Betts has even shown that he can effectively carry the load and has had consecutive 100-yard games. When talks of the Redskins being close to an extension with Betts came out, fan reaction was nearly unanimously positive, some have even gone as far as to suggest the Skins should look to trade Portis and install Betts as the full-time starter.
Obviously a Portis trade isn’t going to happen. Even if you ignore the cap ramifications (which I assume would make a deal nearly impossible), recent deals have shown that you’ll get nothing close to market value for a running back (unless you deal with the Redskins, which sadly is impossible in this case). In addition to the lack of a fair return in a trade, Portis is a leader on this team and one of the better runners in the league. Even if you incorrectly assume Betts is Portis’ equal as a runner, Portis is much more effective blocker (one of the Falcons sacks last week was due to Betts going to the wrong spot to block). If the Redskins are going to keep Portis (and they should), there is no way they should make re-signing Ladell Betts a priority.
Joe Gibbs can go up to the podium every week and call Betts a core Redskin and Betts can churn out 100 yard game after 100 yard game the rest of the season, but it will still make no sense to spend big money on keeping him around. The Redskins may love to toss the cash around but you can’t have two running backs making ‘starter-money’ in the salary cap era. Money should be especially tight in Washington for depth players; the Skins are already paying a ton of money to a punt returner who’s proven he’s nothing more than a 3rd receiver and a safety who’s fallen behind me on the depth chart.
Running back is the one position in football where you can always find a guy who can produce. Guys like Maurice Jones-Drew, Jerious Norwood, Michael Turner and Mike Bell are always popping out of nowhere and putting up solid numbers. Current Redskin Rock Cartwright has proven he can do a decent job when he get a chance at running back, so why not take the money earmarked for Betts and spend it on a ‘need’ position?
The Skins will find a way to come up with cap-space this year. They’ll be active in free agency again but they must learn to be sensible with their cash to avoid another debacle like this past-offseason. Guaranteeing $7 million dollars to a 3rd down/change of pace running back would be another sign that the current Joe Gibbs led Redskins regime hasn’t figured out the salary cap. Having $10 milllion dollar players starting at every position means nothing if one injury leaves you starting a Vernon Fox or an Anthony Montgomery. The Redskins can keep doling out big signing bonuses every off-season, but until they understand how to fill out a roster in this salary cap era, they’ll continue to struggle to consistently compete.
*Photo from the Washington Post*
More Skins talk: Wilbon on Gibbs and the front office.
Nope, I beg to differ. The Redskins cap problems have little to do with rewarding home-grown talent. They have more to do with going after other teams’ cast-off’s that haven’t worked out. In this case, the have a guy they drafted out of college, has been a dependable, solid citizen from day one, and has done everything they’ve asked of him. Now it’s time to get paid and they should pay him. Remember Antonio Pierce? And while I that agree that he’s no Portis, Clinton is proving to be brittle – his body doesn’t seem to be able to handle the number of carries required in a Gibbs-style running game. It’s clear that he’s gonna miss several games a year – every year. You want players to feel like they belong and not quit on the team, to “fight their guts outâ€, to be loyal? That goes both ways – and it should start now, with Betts.
History has shown us Gibbs is not a personel guy. Remember Desmond Howard? Wilbon is right. It seems all their moves are stupid. I mean really, all those picks for Campell? Time will tell, but he may not have it. They traded up for the guy this year, he is a special teams guy. Duckett is just a fat slow guy so far who has fumbled once. All those millions for his coaches. Hey i love Joe Gibbs as a coach, but as a team president and gm i think i could do better.
Michael, my argument is not that Betts doesn’t deserve the money, he probably does. Betts is a valuable player to have, but you just can’t have 12-15 million dollars in cap space locked up at running back when you have so many other holes to fill.
Lee, it’s 6-7 million over a multiyear contract (ie., 3 to 5 years) as near as I can tell. For a major insurance against Portis being injured, spread out, the cap hit is only about $1.5 mil/year, probably, to as much as $2mil/year.
Couple with that the comments and grumblings that have gone on about the Redskins not taking care of their own (which has reduced morale on the team), and it should be money well spent to get Betts resigned. Whatever we do, don’t let him go free agent though… that might just drive up the price, which would do the opposite.
The 6-7 million dollars is just for a signing bonus. They’ll be additional salary propped up to that. There isn’t really a decent comp for what Betts could expect in a contract. But a few that could be used:
Brian Westbrook: 9m bonus, 5 yrs – approx 25 million
Chester Taylor: 5.6 bonus, 4 yrs – 14.1 million
Betts will end up somewhere in between those two deals. 4 yrs – 17 million would be my guess (although with the Redskins who the hell knows, he could get 4yrs – 30 million). The cap hit won’t be big until the later years of his deals, but you are still spending big bucks for a guy who won’t start for you.
I think that we all hoped that Clinton Portis would have his best year to date; just like Ladainian Tomlinson’s. But it hasn’t happened. It probably won’t ever happen, either. Portis is more like a free lancing back, whereas Betts does exactly what he is told, and does quite well, too. Get rid of Portis and keep Betts.
Oh yeah, isn’t it Maurice Jones-Drew from Jacksonville, not Marcus?
You are right Chris. I’ve fixed that.
Lee I agree with you, but not for the reasons that you suggest. I see Betts as someone who can plug in only so many plays or games. Once that arbitrary number is exceeded he starts to fall to arm tackles and his decision making becomes qustionable. Someone will want to make him a full time started, but the way his career has gone thus far he will not be able to live up to that. His body isn’t used to it, and it will not get used to it regardless of ability and heart. You can’t compare his situation to Stephen Davis, but I see his career post Redskins going the same way. I personally think Portis is capable of pulling a Ricky Williams or a similar move to the Vikings starter not so long ago (Was it Smith?). I wouldn’t be surprised to see him retire in the prime of his career, I mean he’s sure broached that topic more than any other RB out there save for Barber who made it clear. Anyway, Keep Portis and Cartright and trade Duckett.
And we all know how that Ricky Williams retirement went! I too agree to let Betts walk and get the money he deserves elsewhere. He has been a terrific contributor and teammate, but I feel our less muddled backfield with CP and Rock will be just as productive; and hopefully so will some other areas of the team with that money well spent.
P.S. – The trade deadline has passed and TJ is a free agent at the end of the season. So you couldn’t even get a box of oreos for this guy. My first guess would be he heads back down to Atlanta, especially with their inefficiency in the redzone.
Hey Betts is ok, not great. Good solid Backup, not a starter. Will fumble some, so pay him like a good back up. Walt Harris, 6 interceptions, another stupid personel move by Gibbs.
He’s been resigned.
[...] This comes one day after I said the Skins shouldn’t sign Betts, but I won’t complain too much until the terms are released. Obviously I need to get some more pull with this team. [...]
First of all, I think we need a cornerback.I would get rid of Clinton Portis and get Champ Bailey back. I would throw in Vernon Fox as a appetizer. Champ Bailey has proven that he is a shut-down corner.