Maybe It Isn’t Restraint…

Free agent WR D.J. Hackett signed a fairly humdrum contract with the Carolina Panthers yesterday. Casually, I figured it was a near lock he would sign in Washington; new coaches always love to bring a few guys from their old team with them, the Redskins need taller WRs and he wasn’t going to be all that expensive. In his blog last week, Washington Post Redskins beat writer Jason LaCanfora had the Redskins at $7.7 million in cap room, not counting money for draft picks and injury signings. Hackett’s reported $3.5 million for two years deal, would seem to fit under that.

Perhaps the Redskins are, after years of avoiding it through contract restructurings, in cap hell? Fox Sports Radio morning host Steve Czaban, has been speculating on his local afternoon drive time show that Dan Snyder’s troubles with his other high profile entertainment venture, Six Flags Amusement Parks, is at least some of what’s driving the new, restrained Redskins. I doubted Czaban, seeing as how Redskins fans continue to be suckers for Snyder’s marketing (even I may soon cave in and buy a Sean Taylor Pro Bowl jersey) and the franchise continues to generate big piles of our cash. However, if the team can’t make a modest free agent signing of one of the head coach’s old players, I have to wonder.