DenverBrit
08-23-2006, 08:31 PM
Didn't see this story elsewhere, so here it is. ;D
Looking at Lelie-Duckett deal from all angles
By Adam Schefter
Special to NFL.com
(Aug. 23, 2006) -- Three-team trades usually are as rare as they are complex. But the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins cooked up a three-way deal with ramifications that rippled through each roster.
The Falcons get Ashley Lelie, the wideout they considered taking with the No. 18 pick in the 2002 draft, only to have then-head coach Dan Reeves opt for Michigan State running back T.J. Duckett instead.
The Broncos get, in all probability, a third- and fourth-round pick for a player they could not get a fourth-round pick this offseason from their favorite trading partner, the Redskins, who will have supplied Denver with a first-day pick in each of the past three drafts.
The Redskins get Duckett, a bruising running back who provides insurance against Clinton Portis' shoulder injury and Ladell Betts' hamstring strain.
And one of the most complicated three-team preseason trades in recent history now is complete, though its fallout will just now begin to be assessed.
LELIE'S BILL COMES DUE
Back in 2002, Reeves wanted to draft Lelie. Yet what kept gnawing at him, and others within Atlanta's organization, was Lelie's offseason hamstring injury. The Falcons were concerned it would be a lingering issue. It never was, but the Falcons selected Duckett, only to see Lelie go to the Denver Broncos on the very next pick, No. 19.
Few people have ever doubted Ashley Lelie's athleticism, but many have questioned his intangibles.
Whereas it once opted for a running back over a wide receiver, Atlanta now has run a reverse, opting for a wide receiver over a running back. The Falcons had been searching for one ever since they lost Brian Finneran in the opening week of camp to a season-ending knee injury.
Lelie has led the league in yards per catch in each of the past two seasons, making acrobatic catches seem routine. Yet some around the league have continually questioned his toughness. One head coach who had opposed Lelie in recent seasons, whose team had debated trading for the wide receiver during the offseason, called the wide receiver "soft." Others echoed a similar phrase.
But Atlanta needed a receiver who can make the types of plays Lelie can. In the Falcons offense, Lelie has a chance to become the most dominant receiver in it. However, he might not be there long.
Lelie's contract is scheduled to expire after this season and the Falcons have not had any contract talks with Lelie or his agent, Peter Schaffer, who helped mastermind the rare three-team trade.
Lelie can walk away from Atlanta after this season and he will be looking to cash in. He has to. For staying away from the Broncos minicamp and training camp, Lelie racked up close to $400,000 in fines -- $11,000 for missing minicamp, $14,000 a day for training camp.
Plus, Lelie could be obligated to return about one-third of his $3.3 million signing bonus to the Broncos. Factoring those numbers with the $600,000 in base salary Lelie is scheduled to make this season means that playing football this year actually could cost Lelie hundreds of thousands of dollars. Maybe even as much as a million.
And count on this: Denver is going to pursue the money as hard as it pursued a trade for Lelie. It has to. If it doesn't, it sends a message to other players that they can make the choice of holding out without paying the consequences.
TRADING PARTNERS
In the days leading up to the draft, and then again on draft day, the Broncos repeatedly shopped Lelie, hoping to trade him to the highest bidder. Only there were none.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers debated giving up a fourth-round draft choice to Denver, but never offered it.
The Houston Texans, with former Denver offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak in charge, considered dealing a fourth-round draft choice to Denver, but also never offered it.
Denver got zero -- zero! -- offers for Lelie.
Yet somehow it managed to transform no offers into a deal that looks like it will involve Washington's third-round pick in 2007 and the Redskins' fourth-round pick in 2008. Those are the most likely terms of the deal, but the exact terms will not be determined until after this season.
Depending on how each team fares this season, the two teams also could wind up swapping first-round picks, but only if Washington is scheduled to pick between No. 21 and No. 31 and Denver's first-round draft position is even higher. Unlikely, though not impossible.
Under that scenario, Denver also could get Washington's fourth-round pick in 2008 or the Redskins' third-round pick in 2007.
However it works out, the Broncos once again look as if they will have a first-day pick from the Redskins for the third consecutive year.
Two years ago, Denver acquired Washington's second-round pick in the Champ Bailey-for-Clinton Portis deal, and used it to select running back Tatum Bell.
The next year, Denver traded its 2005 first-round choice to Washington for the Redskins' 2006 first-round choice; Washington picked Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell in 2005 while Denver parlayed the Redskins pick into a trade-up for Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler.
http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/9616229
Looking at Lelie-Duckett deal from all angles
By Adam Schefter
Special to NFL.com
(Aug. 23, 2006) -- Three-team trades usually are as rare as they are complex. But the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins cooked up a three-way deal with ramifications that rippled through each roster.
The Falcons get Ashley Lelie, the wideout they considered taking with the No. 18 pick in the 2002 draft, only to have then-head coach Dan Reeves opt for Michigan State running back T.J. Duckett instead.
The Broncos get, in all probability, a third- and fourth-round pick for a player they could not get a fourth-round pick this offseason from their favorite trading partner, the Redskins, who will have supplied Denver with a first-day pick in each of the past three drafts.
The Redskins get Duckett, a bruising running back who provides insurance against Clinton Portis' shoulder injury and Ladell Betts' hamstring strain.
And one of the most complicated three-team preseason trades in recent history now is complete, though its fallout will just now begin to be assessed.
LELIE'S BILL COMES DUE
Back in 2002, Reeves wanted to draft Lelie. Yet what kept gnawing at him, and others within Atlanta's organization, was Lelie's offseason hamstring injury. The Falcons were concerned it would be a lingering issue. It never was, but the Falcons selected Duckett, only to see Lelie go to the Denver Broncos on the very next pick, No. 19.
Few people have ever doubted Ashley Lelie's athleticism, but many have questioned his intangibles.
Whereas it once opted for a running back over a wide receiver, Atlanta now has run a reverse, opting for a wide receiver over a running back. The Falcons had been searching for one ever since they lost Brian Finneran in the opening week of camp to a season-ending knee injury.
Lelie has led the league in yards per catch in each of the past two seasons, making acrobatic catches seem routine. Yet some around the league have continually questioned his toughness. One head coach who had opposed Lelie in recent seasons, whose team had debated trading for the wide receiver during the offseason, called the wide receiver "soft." Others echoed a similar phrase.
But Atlanta needed a receiver who can make the types of plays Lelie can. In the Falcons offense, Lelie has a chance to become the most dominant receiver in it. However, he might not be there long.
Lelie's contract is scheduled to expire after this season and the Falcons have not had any contract talks with Lelie or his agent, Peter Schaffer, who helped mastermind the rare three-team trade.
Lelie can walk away from Atlanta after this season and he will be looking to cash in. He has to. For staying away from the Broncos minicamp and training camp, Lelie racked up close to $400,000 in fines -- $11,000 for missing minicamp, $14,000 a day for training camp.
Plus, Lelie could be obligated to return about one-third of his $3.3 million signing bonus to the Broncos. Factoring those numbers with the $600,000 in base salary Lelie is scheduled to make this season means that playing football this year actually could cost Lelie hundreds of thousands of dollars. Maybe even as much as a million.
And count on this: Denver is going to pursue the money as hard as it pursued a trade for Lelie. It has to. If it doesn't, it sends a message to other players that they can make the choice of holding out without paying the consequences.
TRADING PARTNERS
In the days leading up to the draft, and then again on draft day, the Broncos repeatedly shopped Lelie, hoping to trade him to the highest bidder. Only there were none.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers debated giving up a fourth-round draft choice to Denver, but never offered it.
The Houston Texans, with former Denver offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak in charge, considered dealing a fourth-round draft choice to Denver, but also never offered it.
Denver got zero -- zero! -- offers for Lelie.
Yet somehow it managed to transform no offers into a deal that looks like it will involve Washington's third-round pick in 2007 and the Redskins' fourth-round pick in 2008. Those are the most likely terms of the deal, but the exact terms will not be determined until after this season.
Depending on how each team fares this season, the two teams also could wind up swapping first-round picks, but only if Washington is scheduled to pick between No. 21 and No. 31 and Denver's first-round draft position is even higher. Unlikely, though not impossible.
Under that scenario, Denver also could get Washington's fourth-round pick in 2008 or the Redskins' third-round pick in 2007.
However it works out, the Broncos once again look as if they will have a first-day pick from the Redskins for the third consecutive year.
Two years ago, Denver acquired Washington's second-round pick in the Champ Bailey-for-Clinton Portis deal, and used it to select running back Tatum Bell.
The next year, Denver traded its 2005 first-round choice to Washington for the Redskins' 2006 first-round choice; Washington picked Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell in 2005 while Denver parlayed the Redskins pick into a trade-up for Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler.
http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/9616229