Redskins Golston Signs Tender

Restricted free-agent DT Kedric Golston has signed his one-year, $1.54 million tender to stay with the Redskins.

The sixth-round pick from Georgia in 2006 started 12 games last season, recording 28 tackles and two sacks. In his 3-year career Golston has recorded 83 tackles, 3.5 sacks and a safety.

The Redskins have now re-signed all three of their restricted free agents, including DT Anthony Montgomery and PK Shaun Suisham.

Bucs Sign Leftwich to 2-Year Deal.

Earlier in the week the Pittsburgh Steelers offered him a two-year contract, but free-agent quarterback Byron Leftwich has decided to take the two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers instead.

The Washington Redskins were also interested in Leftwich, who joins a depth chart in Tampa that includes Luke McCown, Josh Johnson, and Brian Griese.

Leftwich, 29, a first-round draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars out of Marshall in 2003, was a back-up last season in Pittsburgh where he threw for 303lbs and 2 TD's in five apearances, he also won a Super Bowl ring last season.

The former Marshall QB is probably best remembered for a gutsy performance in college when he was carried down the field by his offensive line because he finished the game on a broken leg.

Byron Leftwich Visiting Bucs

Free Agent quarterback Byron Leftwich began his career in Florida and now he might get his shot to return. Leftwich is visiting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers today according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The Buccaneers have said publicly that they would like to bring four QB's to training camp. Luke McCown appears to be the front runner to be QB1 in Tampa, while second-year man Josh Johnson and journeyman Brian Griese prepare for the back-up battle.

The Steelers have told Leftwich, an unrestricted free agent, they would like to have him back, but have been dragging their feet on his resigning. Leftwich has basically seen no interest on the free agent market other than a visit with the Washington Redskins last week.

QB Ramsey Lands in Tennessee

Another former first round quarterback flop has signed with a new team, Kyle Boller will be holding the clipboard in St. Louis. Now the Washington Redskins' first rounder from 2002 (32nd overall) Quarterback Patrick Ramsey, will battle for the clip board holder spot as he has signed a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans. Financial terms were not released.

Ramsey is likely to be third on the depth chart behind Kerry Collins, whom Tennessee re-signed to a two-year, $15 million deal, and Vince Young.

Tennessee announced on Friday that Ramsey joined the Titans after two seasons with the Denver Broncos. This move allows Ramsay to re-unite with Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger whome he worked under with the Broncos in 2007.

Ramsey has completed 511 of 913 passes for 5,930 yards with 35 touchdowns and 30 interceptions during his career. He has appeared in 37 games with 24 starts with stops in Denver, Washington, and the New York Jets.

Titans Convince the NFL to Look into Redskins Tampering

The Tennessee Titans have asked the NFL to consider tampering charges against the Washington Redskins in the signing of free agent defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, The (Nashville) Tennessean reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation.

The Titans have not filed the grievance over the strangely speedy signing of Albert Haynesworth to a complicated contract just hours after the free agency gates opened. Instead, the team provided the league with newspaper articles and audio from a Washington, D.C.-area radio station, evidence the Titans say implies Washington had improper contact with Haynesworth before free agency began at 12 a.m. on Feb. 27.

Apperently the Titans nudging was enough for the NFL to poke their nose into the situation.

"There are issues of tampering that come up from time to time and if we need to take some action then of course we announce that," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said, "Until then we don't comment on it.''

Redskins Re-Sign DE Daniels

The Washington Redskins have decided to bring back thirteen-year veteran Phillip Daniels and have reached agreement on a one-year contract worth $845,000.

He was released earlier in free agency in a salary cap move and apperently received plenty of interest on the free agent market, but ultimately decided to return to Washington. It was also believed that the interested teams wanted to wait until after the draft.

Daniels' re-signing with Washing represents a significant paycut as he was scheduled to make $2.15 million in 2008 under his old contract.

Daniels, 36, has been with the Redskins since 2004. Previously, the former University of Georgia standout played with Seattle (1996-1999) and Chicago (2000-2003). He has appeared in 159 games with 141 starts, and started 15 games for Washington in 2007. He had 37 tackles and 2½ sacks that season but missed the 2008 season with a knee injury.

For his career, Daniels has 456 tackles, 59 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries, one interception, and 36 passes defensed.

Taylor Excited About Patriots Talk

Former Dolphin and Redskin DE Jason Taylor is currently unemployed, but busy pimping his Hollywood image. Taylor was spotted Sunday night on the red carpet of an event for the Jason Taylor Foundation at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Taylor was speaking about his future in the NFL and his possible landing spots, spots that didn't rule out the Miami Dolphins, the team for which he played 11-seasons.

"Absolutely. There's no reason I wouldn't." But he also noted "I'm the wrong person to talk to about that. I sign one line on the contract, and the other guy signs the other line." Taylor said.

There is another owner who has already hinted at the idea of getting Taylor's autograph on a contract. Patriots owner Robert Kraft speaking Tuesday at the NFL owners' meeting in Dana Point, Calif., was asked about the possibility of signing Taylor.

"Great player," Kraft exclaimed, "I'm sure that can happen if he wants it."

Taylor is looking to bounce back from a dissapointing 2008, where he left Miami for the greener pastures of Washington. He played 13 games and started only eight while battling a strange calf injury that required emergency surgery to drain blood. He finished with 37 tackles and 3½ sacks.

"I took a lot of heat last year for the lack of productivity, and the injuries and whatnot, but after you play in a certain system and a certain situation for 11 years and make the Pro Bowl six times, then they tell you now play the other side, it doesn't always work that way. We couldn't find that mix last year."

Taylor, who will turn 35 in September, was definitive that he will play somewhere, but claimed he had no timetable to make a decision. He also stated "it's not about the money. I walked away from the money in D.C.". Taylor has had success, has made his money, has played in Pro Bowls, but he is still searching for that elusive Super Bowl.

"My main focus right now is spending time with the kids and the family, being back down here in Florida," Taylor said. "The rest of that will work itself out. It's got to be the right situation, beneficial for both team and myself, whatever team that is. I look forward to finding one, so I can get back to work, get with the program and keep going."

Saints Continue Defensive Make-Over: Add Prioleau

The New Orleans Saints have added some depth to their secondary with the signing of Pierson Prioleau, terms of the contract were not revealed.

Prioleau, 5-11, 188 pounds, is a veteran of ten NFL seasons who has played with the San Francisco 49ers (1999-2000), Buffalo Bills (2001-2004), Washington Redskins (2005-2008) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (2008).

The move reunites Prioleau with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams; they have worked together in Jacksonville, Washington, and Buffalo.

He has played in 129 career regular season games during his career, making 48 starts, and has accumulated 371 career tackles, along with five-and-a-half sacks, and 130 career special teams tackles.

He'll likely serve as a back-up for the Saints, behind recently signed Darren Sharper and holdover Roman Harper.

Browns Add Insurance, Sign WR Patten

The Cleveland Browns may be without the services of WR Donte Stallworth, for a long time, if not permanently as he awaits the legal repercussions of a fatal accident he was involved in earlier this month. When Stallworth's car struck and killed a pedestrian with his Bentley in Miami Beach.

In response to these events the Cleveland Browns have added some insurance in the form of WR David Patten, who had previously played with the team in 2000. The terms of his contract were not disclosed.

The well travelled wide receiver has played the last two seasons in New Orleans but has also had previous stops in the New York Giants, New England, and Washington. He won two Super Bowl titles with the Patriots.

For his career Patten has 324 catches for 4,715 yards and four touchdowns in 147 regular-season games in 12 NFL seasons.

Haynesworth Indicted on Two Traffic Charges

The "$100 Million Man" DT Albert Haynesworth may find himself with a little less in his wallet after being indicted on two misdemeaner traffic charges stemming from a December 13th crash that seriously injured another driver.

District Attorney Kim Helper of Williamson County said Thursday that Haynesworth was indicted Monday on charges of reckless driving and having expired registration.

Haynesworth, was released on $1,000 bond after surrendering Wednesday. The maximum punishment is six months in jail and a $500 fine on the reckless driving charge and 30 days in jail and a $50 fine for the other charge.

Haynesworth is scheduled for arraignment March 30 in Williamson Circuit Court in Franklin, just south of Nashville.

The victim of the accident, Corey Edmondson has needed a hip replacement and is unable to move except with a walker or in a wheelchair, said his attorney, Jon Perry.

Redskins Ink Another Punter

The Washington Redskins have been searching for answers in their punting game and have been cycling through punter after punter to try and find a solution. The next one in the cycle is veteran Dirk Johnson. Terms of his contract were not disclosed.

Johnson has a 41.7-yard career average and a career net average of 35.9. He has punted for several teams in the NFL including New Orleans, Chicago, Arizona and he has also punted in the Super Bowl for Philadelphia in 2004.

The Redskins ranked last in the NFL in net average last season. Draft pick Durant Brooks won the job over incumbent Derrick Frost during training camp, then was cut and replaced by Ryan Plackemeier in October. Plackemeier was released last month.

Shawn Springs to New England

The New England Patriots have strengthened the defensive backfield today with the signing of CB Shawn Springs, terms of his contract were not disclosed.

Springs, was recently released by the Washington Redskins after they re-signed CB DeAngelo Hall to a long term contract. The 12-year veteran, started his career with the Seattle Seahawks after they spent their first round draft choice (third overall) on him in 1997, after 7 seasons he joined the Washington Redskins, where he spent the last five.

In his career, Springs has accumulated 372 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 36 interceptions a 2 TD's, both of which came in 1998.

Evans Chooses 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers have secured the services of Demetric Evans, who signed a two-year, $3.8 Million contract.

The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Evans will be part of the 49ers' rotation of defensive ends in their 3-4 scheme.

2008 was Evans' most productive year as a pro, he started 11 games with 33 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks. The seven-year veteran spent two years in Dallas and his next five in Washington.

Terrell Owens Cut by Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spent countless press conferences trying to convince you it wasn't going to happen, he placed a gag order on his coaches at the Scouting Combine, so his coaching staff couldn't answer the question. Despite all the smoke and mirrors, the Dallas Cowboys finally did what we all expected them to do, they have released WR Terrell Owens.

By cutting Terrell Owens the Cowboys will be able to rid themselves of a locker room cancer and sideline distraction, but the team will have to absorb a huge hit to the salary cap, a reported a $9.675 Million, stemming from the new contract Owens signed last summer, a four-year, $34 Million deal that included a $12 Million bonus.

Owens, who has always been known as a productive receiver, is remembered more often for his outlandish and bizarre touchdown celebrations, like the Sharpie in the sock, or pouring popcorn all over himself. Even more bizarre were his off the field antics, giving an interview while doing sit ups in his driveway, or the accidental overdose/suicide attempt.

It was all of these reasons that Jerry Jones loved T.O., with every outlandish act brought more media attention to "America's Team" and more attention means more money for Jones, but the one thing Owens did not bring to Dallas was playoff victories, and that may have been the straw that broke the camel's back for Jones. Owens is not worth the distraction if he is not winning you championships.

Over his 13-year career, he's a five-time All-Pro and ranks second in career touchdowns, fifth in career yards receiving and sixth in career receptions. He turned 35 in December, but remains a physical specimen.

Look for Owens to re-emerge in a place like New York, with the Giants. Owens would love the bright lights of New York and the Giants may need to replace the production of Plaxico Burress. Another possibe landing spot could be Washington, as owner Dan Snyder loves to spend money on big name players no matter how much baggage they bring with them. I think a wild-card team for getting Owens would be the Oakland Raiders, I think Al Davis will fall in love with T.O.'s production and is arrogant enough to think he could keep him happy.

Taylor Cut in Washington

The Washington Redskins released defensive end Jason Taylor on Monday after the six-time All-Pro failed to accept a workout commitment.

The Redskins were requesting that Taylor participate in at least 75% (or 8 of the 13 weeks) of the off-season programs. In the end Taylor chose his fanily over money.

"He wanted to spend the offseason with his family," said Taylor's agent, Gary Wichard. "He just kind of chose family over going up there."

Taylor was acquired on the first day of training camp after Phillip Daniels went down with a season-ending knee injury. The Redskins gave up a second-round draft pick in 2009 and a sixth-round selection in 2010.

Skins Cut Springs

As expected the Washington Redskins released veteran CB Shawn Springs in an attempt to clear up some salary cap space after signing two monster contracts at the beginning of free agency.

Springs became expendable when the Redskins re-signed CB DeAngelo Hall to a six-year, $54 million deal earlier in the day.

Springs was on the final year of his contract and had a cap number of $8.48 million, but they'll actually save $6 million with the move. His base salary was $6 million and he had $2.48 million left in bonus proration.

Haynesworth Joins the $100M Club

Well it would be the first day of free agency unless a CB signed a monster deal, check! and it wouldn't be the first day of free agency unless a record contract was signed just minutes after midnight, but with no talks occurring before the start of free agency (wink), Check!

It certainly wouldn't be the first day of free agency if it wasn't Dan Snyder and the Washington Redskins who pulled off both moves, Check again!

The Free Agency's crown jewel DT Albert Haynesworth, has agreed to a seven year $100 Million contract, that could end up maxing out at $115 million based on his performance, according to sources.

Haynesworth has six teams offering more than $30 Million guaranteed, but he trimmed the list down to two teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and his new employers the Washington Redskins, his former employers, the Tennessee Titans never came close to signing Haynesworth.

We will all spend the next few months debating this move by the Redskins, paying $100M for a player who has not played in 16 games since 2002, who has off the field issues, and who has only played to his immense potential in contract years. Let the debating begin.

Hall Re-Signs in Washington

Free Agency started out as expected with a CB signing a monster sized deal, DeAngelo Hall has re-signed with the Washington Redskins to a six-year $54 Million deal that included $22.5 Million in guarantees. This is the second consecutive year that Hall has signed a huge contract.

Hall signed a seven year, $70 million contract he signed a year ago with Oakland Hall with around $24 million guaranteed, but was released after 8 games. He signed a week later in Washington and played in the final seven games of the season, starting four.

On the season, Hall had 5 interceptions - three in Oakland and two in Washington.

Redskins Release Plackemeier

The Washington Redskins released punter Ryan Plackemeier yesterday, and have also completed new contracts for two veterans, according to league sources.


Plackemeier, who was signed before last season's seventh game to replace struggling draft pick Durant Brooks, had one year remaining on his deal and was placed on waivers. Like Brooks, he placed near the bottom of the NFL in most punting categories.

The redskins reworked the contracts of defensive end Andre Carter and wide receiver Antwaan Randle El. According to league sources, the deals were reworked in order to lower their costs against the 2009 salary cap. Both players had deals set to expire after 2012; their new contracts run through 2015. Saving the team approximately $4.5 Million in 2009

Coles Renegotiates Contract, Loses $6M and Becomes Free Agent

Laveranues Coles did the almost unthinkable in these tough times, he walked away from a guaranteed $6 million payday this year in hopes of receiving a long-term deal in free agency. He had hoped to secure the long term contract with the Jets but when it became evident that was not going to happen, Coles and the team reached a compromise Wednesday that allowed him to restructure his deal and become a free agent on Friday, a team spokesman said.

Coles, a 31-year-old wide receiver, spent seven of his nine NFL seasons with the Jets (He spent the 2003 and 2004 seasons in Washington), but his production has declined in recent years.
He has had one 1,000-yard season in his last five years and he has sustained multiple concussions.

Coles had hoped to retire as a Jet. But when he approached the team about a contract extension last off-season, threatening to sit out the off-season program if he did not get it, the team instead guaranteed the final two years of his contract for a total of $11 million.

Again this offseason Coles approached the Jets for a contract extension, the team balked, and Coles agreed to leave the $6 million he was due this season on the table in exchange for the Jets’ restructuring his contract to allow him to go elsewhere when free agency opens on Friday. The Jets, who would have been on the hook for the money if they had released Coles, saved $6 Million off the salary cap.

The restructuring appears initially as a win-win, assuming Coles signs on with another team. The door still remains open that Coles could return to the Jets, although it seams unlikely.

“I have had the pleasure of getting to know Laveranues since he entered the league in 2000,” General Manager Mike Tannenbaum said in a statement. “He is a fierce competitor, a great teammate and a good friend who has always given his best to the New York Jets. I spoke with him today and expressed my appreciation for his contributions both on and off the field. This move will allow Laveranues to explore his options, and we both agreed to keep the lines of communication open.”

Look for Coles to catch on with Miami and reunite with good friend and Dolphins' QB Chad Pennington.