Haynesworth, Hall Acquired By Redskins

We really should be used to this kind of news by now out of the Washington Redskins, but you never really adjust to the amounts of money the Redskins can throw around in free agent signings.

This week, the Redskins threw $100 million over seven years for Albert Haynesworth and $54 million over six years for DeAngelo Hall.

Let that sink in for a moment, because they’ll likely both be gone in three to four years.

On the positive side of things, at least Haynesworth and Hall aren’t Bruce Smith and Deion Sanders—overvalued and diminished on the talent tip. The money seems ridiculous, but they are young enough and good enough to warrant it from a team that sets their own market for players. Besides, everybody knows it ain’t tricking if you got it.

The rest of the league should be calling Daniel Snyder with overtures of praise, because when the Redskins make a deal, it bears nothing on what the rest of the league has to do contract-wise. Very few teams—pretty much just the Redskins and Dallas Cowboys—can wax financial on free agents. For the rest of the players looking to get paid with these two signings as benchmarks, they are in for the surprise of their life when other NFL teams look at them and say, “Who do you think we are, Daniel Snyder?”

As for the Redskins, this has a chance to make them far better on defense for the duration of a season. You read it here first—London Fletcher will make the Pro Bowl, as will DeAngelo Hall and Albert Haynesworth.

If not by talent, then they will make the Pro Bowl by the annual propaganda that is the Redskins’ appeal for fan voting.