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The Albert Haynesworth confusion continues to escalate, which is what tends to happen when a strong-willed coach tries to change a strong-willed player. It appears the Redskins are open to trading Haynesworth again, with Tennessee reportedly among the interested teams. As of right now, the major holdup is that the Redskins want to receive more value for Haynesworth than teams are willing to surrender.
That's a good and noble goal ... at least for the right reasons. Any good negotiation must begin with high demands, because that's how you get value. But I am a little concerned that the Redskins' brass wants value for Haynesworth simply because they have buyers remorse. This quote from Jason Reid's blog post yesterday raises a red flag for me (emphasis mine).
Moreover, the Redskins have repeatedly indicated they might be open to accommodating Haynesworth with a trade if he was willing to give back a portion of his signing bonus. But it is highly unlikely Haynesworth would give back any of the guaranteed $41 million owner Daniel Snyder agreed to give him, especially with multiple team sources indicating Coach Mike Shanahan is highly frustrated with the ongoing Haynesworth drama and could be finally ready to make a move. So if the Redskins trade Haynesworth, it appears they would have to accept a huge loss on the contract he signed in February of 2009.
Honestly, that should be a given at this point. The money the Redskins have already given Haynesworth is gone. In economic terms, it's a sunk cost. The Redskins have to accept that if they want to do what's best for the team. They should not waste their time trying to get that money back, and they should not be skittish about doing what they think is best for the team simply to justify a major investment gone bad.
Today's must-reads from around the SB Nation network:
- Hogs Haven isn't talking about Haynesworth. Instead, it's talking about the improved offensive line.
- With Wizards' training camp set to begin in 20 days, Bullets Forever begins its 20 Questions series with a look at the team's upcoming restricted free agents.
- Can Maryland-Navy become a full-fledged rivalry? Testudo Times examines the burning question here.