Adam Archuleta wants his reputation back. And he thinks he’s finally in the right place to fulfill that desire.
The Redskins’ trade of Archuleta to Chicago for a sixth-round draft pick, made official Thursday, ends the one-year mistake made by both Washington and Archuleta.
“I could air a bunch of dirty laundry, but what’s done is done,” said Archuleta via conference call. “There’s a lot more going on than people realize and perception turned into reality. … This is the best move for all parties.”
The Redskins made him the highest paid safety in the NFL. Now they’re helping defray some of Chicago’s costs to sign him, giving him a reported $500,000 as part of the deal.
“When I first signed [with Washington], I felt good about it,” he said. “I got blindsided by what happened; it snowballed into a mess.”
He didn’t regret signing with Washington, where he played more in coverage than many expected he would; though during the season he felt differently.
“I won’t pretend that I went there and lit it up,” said Archuleta. “But when you look at the performance of the team and look at the performance of the defense and individual performances, I wasn’t out of line with what was going on.”
And he’s anxious for the Bears game against Washington.
“What I look forward to is, the fans of Washington can actually see what I’m capable of doing,” he said, “and letting them see what I could have been doing in a Redskins uniform.”
Skins cut Patten
» The Redskins cut receiver David Patten Thursday, ending another failed free agent signing. He signed with Washington two years ago, but a knee injury limited him to 22 catches in nine games his first season. And, because of injuries and other acquisitions, he caught just one pass for 25 yards over five games in 2006.
— John Keim
