There are two headlines every Redskins fan is sick of hearing this offseason. The obvious is the Kirk situation, the second is our two free agent wide receivers. I’m reluctant to bring up the WR topic yet again, however I am starting to get concerned. From the first pass that RG3 threw, Pierre Garcon has been there. Sure handed, ready to play, and with a fight in him that you could tell ignited the entire team.
Before we get into it, you need to understand that this isn’t a post about choosing between DeSean of Pierre. If it were up to me, we’d keep both receivers. DeSean’s speed is unparalleled. Every defense has to account for him, simply because he can blow the top off any coverage. Pierre is the tough, over the middle, earn every yard receiver. Both are important. Both are talented. Both want to stay, yet both might be leaving. No disrespect to DeSean, but it doesn’t seem like teams are as interested in him as much as Pierre. To me that is shocking. His stats since 2008 are incredible. But we’ll save that for another post…
Pierre Garcon is generating a lot of buzz. According to The Washington Post’s Mike Jones, the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, and San Francisco 49ers are interested in Garcon’s services. Rumors are floating that the Ravens and Cardinals are interested as well. Thankfully he has stated many times he would love to stay in D.C., yet I find myself asking “who do you take in case PG isn’t around next year?” — My answer is Kenny Britt.
If I were Scot McCloughan I’d have a very difficult time deciding between the two. Kenny Britt is 28. Both DeSean AND Pierre are on the wrong side of 30. Kenny Britt is 6’3. DeSean is 5’10 and Pierre is 6’0. those few inches can make a huge difference. Especially with our red zone struggles. Kenny is also a 1000 yard receiver. 1,002 yard to be exact. Considering that was produced in the horrific Jeff Fisher-led Rams offense, I’m impressed. Who knew the Rams even gained that much yardage last year?! There are a few caveats you have to address however. Kenny Britt blew out his ACL/MCL back in the 2011/2012 season. He’s sprained his ankle, had a DUI, and overall kinda sucked before last year. Granted he was with the Tennessee Titans before Marcus Mariota and of course the Rams….two pretty bad teams.
Here is my dilemma – Pierre and Kenny will both want somewhere around 8m/year. Do you pay that much for an unknown receiver, who is younger and could possibly produce an even more productive year with a Kirk Cousins? Or do you pay your guy, who knows the team, the plays, the QB and has proven time and time again he is an integral part of the offense, but….is older? Also, you can’t forget about Jameson Crowder. One of the few draft picks the Redskins have that is actually producing. He’ll want his money next year. He can be your Pierre Garcon replacement. They are almost identical, except for the fact that Crowder is younger.
The decision is tough to make. Unfortunately the Redskins front office has kept all of us fans anxiously waiting for ANY news. Scot McCloughan and Bruce Allen have some big decisions ahead of them. Hopefully they make the right decision…and KEEP PIERRE GARCON!
Thats right. I don’t want him to go anywhere. The most important fact is Garçon worked alongside Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison, six-time Pro Bowler Reggie Wayne and surefire Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. You can see week in and week out he learned a lot from those guys. Hopefully he can stay and be that mentor to our up and coming receivers too.
Defeating the Curse 