A veteran player who is seemingly in the prime of his career and refusing to show up to Organized Team Activities this spring due to injury risk and a contract dispute.
Sounds all too familiar for the Washington Redskins, doesn’t it?
It was reported by NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay on Monday morning that cornerback Quinton Dunbar is not planning to attend OTAs this spring due to the injury risk that it poses, coupled with the fact that he no longer has any guaranteed money left on his contract, which has one year remaining. If Dunbar were to get injured and miss the 2020 season, the Redskins could cut him without ramifications.
It may not seem like a big deal for Dunbar to miss OTAs this season — some veteran players often opt out in order to continue their own training on the side — but it could definitely go a long way in determining the future in Washington. Dunbar, who is 27-years-old, has only one year remaining on his contract, worth $4.4 million. That is well below the league standard for top-level CBs, and considering that Dunbar made a leap in 2019 to now be among the NFL’s best pass-defenders, it’s understandable that he wants to get paid as such.
(For reference, the Redskins paid Josh Norman $15 million in 2019)
What’s unclear, however, is Dunbar’s desire to sign a new contract with the Redskins and stay in Washington for the future. It’s possible that he plans to play out the rest of his deal in 2020 and hit the open free agency market in 2021, where he will undoubtedly garner a lot of attention from cornerback-desperate teams.
So where do we go from here? It’s hard to predict much until we know more about Dunbar’s intentions, and his willingness to sign a new deal with the Redskins. If the young CB makes it clear that he is willing to stay in Washington, and the only thing holding him back is a lack of guaranteed money on his contract, I suggest that Dan Snyder should work to get him financially secured as soon as possible and find a way to hold onto the assets that you have. We mapped out what a perfect offseason would look like last week, and the suggested moves left approximately $10 million in salary-cap space to work with. It sounds like that $10 million could go a long way to keep one of your best players happy.
[vertical-gallery id=30098]