Receiver Jabar Gaffney knows one thing: The Redskins want to trade him. He just has no idea why they want to make such a move — but he has one strong guess after coach Mike Shanahan told him last week not to report to the offseason voluntary workouts. “I was very surprised,” Gaffney said by phone. “I wanted nothing more than to play for the Redskins. I was told I don’t have to be up there now. I was told I’m being shopped around.”
Gaffney, who finished with a career-best 68 catches for 947 yards, was involved in a Twitter controversy last week that included several expletive-filled tweets directed at his ex-wife (and free agent NFL defensive back Lito Sheppard). He later said his account was hacked. Team sources say the organization wasn’t pleased with those tweets; however, it’s unclear whether those have played any role in this situation.
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“I mean, it went from me still being a big part of the plans to I can look for a better situation,” Gaffney said. “That happened right after the Twitter. I’m not saying it did. Maybe it was a coincidence. But it seems real funny. I tried to explain it wasn’t me on Twitter, and it really wasn’t.”
The Redskins also signed receivers Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan. They like second-year Leonard Hankerson and project him at worst to be a No. 2 receiver. There wasn’t as much need for Gaffney as a year ago. Also, producing more yards after the catch was a big offseason goal of the coaches. And Gaffney managed just 2.7 yards after the catch in 2011. He’s also 31 and would save them approximately $2.6 million against the salary cap (they finally will appear in front of an arbitrator May 10 to argue their case in the $36 million penalty imposed by the NFL).
“I was never worried,” Gaffney said. “I thought they were grabbing those guys to bolster the receiving corps. I was told I was in the plans and would have a major role. All of a sudden everything changed, and I was told I didn’t have to be at workouts.”
– John Keim
