Redskins trade for Alex Smith

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by mooby

He might be right on the financial part but it's way too early to declare anything about the trade being the smart play.

You're right, ultimately you can't judge this without judging how the Redskins do with Smith at the helm, how well Fuller contributes in KC, and how well Kirk performs with his new team.

At this point all we can really do is wax philosophically about it. How much of your cap (on a % basis) should your QB take up before it ends up hurting you?

And it's really hard to judge based on history. For instance, Stafford and Carr are paid among the highest in the league. Their teams didn't make the playoffs this year. But is that because the QBs are overpaid, or is it because the front office didn't put enough around them with the resources available, or is it because of coaching shortcomings?

It's hard to even form an opinion where the tipping point is for QB salaries because ultimately it's a team game. Maybe that's the biggest case of all in favor of Bruce drawing a line in the sand with Cousins- the thinking being no single player deserves that much money in what is ultimately a team game.

I will undoubtedly miss Fuller. And it remains to be seen what Cousins gets paid. But right now, I'd have to lean towards Smith at $23.5 minus Fuller as being a better deal than keeping Fuller and Cousins at whatever he's going to get on the open market.

I think being the one team willing to draw a line in the sand on QB salaries takes balls, and because it's the Redskins everyone will naturally ridicule the move. But the Redskins might be right.