Albert Haynesworth deserves no mercy.
The Washington Redskins defensive lineman has been a colossal two-year bust. Unlike many other free agent failures, Haynesworth simply stunk because he chose to do so. He didn’t want to attend offseason camp, get in shape, play most packages or even get up after getting knocked down on plays.
Haynesworth once disrupted opposing team’s offensive game plans when he played for the Tennessee Titans. Now he just disrupts everything. The past offseason included an out-of-court settlement over a road rage incident and a pending trial for allegedly sexually abusing a waitress. This guy never learns.
The Redskins don’t want him anymore whenever training camp begins. They should trade Haynesworth for a Dulles Toll Road EZ-Pass. Unfortunately, other teams know Washington will eventually release Haynesworth, so they’re not wasting even a late draft pick once the NFL returns to work.
The Redskins don’t want Haynesworth moving to Philadelphia as a free agent. No sense having the lineman realize his career is one or two bad incidents away from forced retirement and suddenly playing well for an NFC East rival. Haynesworth was once known for playing 12 of 16 games annually. He might drop to two good games, but they’d be against Washington.
What to do — can’t trade Haynesworth, can’t keep him, can’t let Philadelphia benefit for free.
Ultimately, the Redskins may have to let Haynesworth go to the Eagles. But waiting until the final preseason cuts could minimize Haynesworth’s chances of greatly helping another team.
Arriving days before the season opener means Haynesworth gets what he wants — simply rushing the passer 10 to 15 snaps per game. He won’t have time to learn another system and effectively play 45 snaps. At least Haynesworth won’t be a difference maker on another team.
Waiting until the last moment gives Haynesworth the minimum leverage for a new contract. He’ll essentially be a role player for another team and take a smaller contract. Maybe Haynesworth is an incentive-driven player because he certainly wasn’t motivated after signing a blockbuster deal with Washington.
This payback move by Washington comes with some pain, though. Haynesworth must stay through training camp and that will cause disruptions. Coach Mike Shanahan endured it last season, but the team needs to move on from such nonsense.
Shanahan could simply tell Haynesworth the team will try to work out a trade and in the meantime get in shape and be ready. Then again, maybe Haynesworth will miss a couple weeks of camp by not passing the conditioning test for the second straight year should Shanahan have it. Then the lineman will be out of sight and a lesser disruption.
In a just world, Washington trades Haynesworth to some frozen outpost that never wins like Buffalo for even a 2015 seventh-rounder. But if there’s no deal, then they should at least try to diminish his play for a rival.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
