Did The Redskins Pull a Fast One On Tennessee?

Albert Haynesworth was clearly the biggest free agent acquisition of the offseason, but today the Tennessee Titans have asked the NFL to begin a probe to determine if the Redskins engaged in illegal tampering by contacting Haynesworth before free agency started.

This could have huge ramifications on the rest of the NFL.

The most recent tampering case was when the 49ers were found to have tampered with Lance Briggs when he and the Chicago Bears were having their differences. For their troubles, the 49ers were forced to swap third round picks with the Bears, and they also lost a fifth rounder.

The tampering charge wasn’t cleared up until after Briggs and the Bears settled their differences. Word around the campfire was that if the Bears had lost Briggs, the penalty would have been much stiffer.  

Fast forward to this year.

Haynesworth signs a deal that falls just shy of getting him on a Forbes list, and the ‘Skins may have inked the deal using duplicitous methods.

Washington is notoriously aggressive when it comes to acquiring talent. They usually over pay, only to find out you can’t buy team chemistry...or a championship.

They often end up cutting players to avoid cap penalties; they have even come close to losing picks due to the salary cap.

This time, their aggressiveness may cost them dearly. When their overpriced contracts hit the cap hard next year, they may be forced to cut talent they haven’t replaced yet if they are to lose draft picks.