Since Daniel Snyder took over as the owner of the Washington Football Team in 1999, the team has made plenty of questionable free-agent signings and trades.
David Kenyon of Bleacher Report recently named the NFL’s seven worst offseason trades since 2000, and one Washington trade stuck out in his eyes.
The Philadelphia Eagles sent longtime quarterback Donovan McNabb to Washington for a second-round pick and a conditional draft pick, which ended up being a fourth-round selection.
Here are Kenyon’s words on the trade:
For the first 11 years of his career, Donovan McNabb helped the Philadelphia Eagles win five NFC East titles and earn eight playoff appearances. Washington hoped McNabb would continue that success even after Michael Vick supplanted him in Philly.
Long story short: That didn’t happen.
Washington sent a second- and third-round pick for McNabb, who posted a 5-8 record in 13 starts. He threw more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (14) during that 2010 season.
The following summer, Washington moved him to the Minnesota Vikings. At least that trade eventually landed running back Alfred Morris, a key contributor for three years.
Kenyon is right. This was a bad trade. Almost anyone who followed Washington at the time realized McNabb was done if a coach as smart as Andy Reid was willing to ship him to a division rival he played twice per season.
That notion turned out to be true, as McNabb was dreadful with Washington. However, is this actually one of the worst trades in the NFL since 2000? I don’t think so.
Other Washington trades were worse, including the monster trade where the WFT sent three first-round picks and a second-round pick to the Rams for the right to select Robert Griffin III. That was a trade that brought immediate gratification and nothing else.
There was the ugly trade in which Washington sent two draft picks away in a three-team trade for running back T.J. Duckett, who gave the Football Team 132 rushing yards in his lone season with Washington.
There was also the desperate move in 2008 in which Washington sent a second-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for defensive end Jason Taylor. Taylor, who was almost 34 at the time, wound up having one of the worst seasons of his NFL career. To make matters worse, Washington gave away a precious second-round pick and also a late-round pick for a player who had virtually no market at that point in his career.
Taylor would play three more seasons and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017. But make no mistake, his one season in Washington was a disaster for all parties — except Miami, which fleeced Washington.