This Date In Transactions History: Chiefs Trade Alex Smith To Redskins
On this date in 2018, the Chiefs traded Alex Smith to the Redskins in blockbuster move that had wide-ranging implications across the entire NFL. The deal brought the Redskins a proven quarterback who was coming off of, arguably, the best season of his career. For the Chiefs, the trade gave them a 2018 third-round draft pick, a promising young cornerback in Kendall Fuller, and a clear path to elevate Patrick Mahomes to the starting lineup. 
Even as Smith led the league in passer rating (104.7) and finished third in adjusted net yards per attempt, the football world was buzzing about the potential of Mahomes. The Chiefs didn’t see much of the youngster in live action, outside of some time in the meaningless 2017 regular season finale, but they saw enough of him on the practice field to know that he was special and that he was ready. Smith, meanwhile, had one year remaining on his deal. The Chiefs opted to turn his salary into draft capital, support for the secondary, and extra cash that they could spend elsewhere.
After Smith set career-highs in completion percentage (67.5), yards (4,042), and touchdowns (26), the Redskins saw him as a fitting replacement for Kirk Cousins, who was on his way out after years of friction and botched extension talks. The acquisition of Smith ruled out any possibility of a reconciliation and officially set Cousins on course for free agency, where he found a fully-guaranteed multi-year deal with the Vikings.
The Chiefs’ side of the swap made total sense – they were parlaying their surplus into extra ammunition. For the Redskins, the deal raised some eyebrows. Even after Smith posted a career-low interception rate of 1%, many doubted that he would be an improvement over Cousins. Keeping Cousins would have been more costly in terms of guaranteed dollars (and would have required a whole lot of fence-mending), but there was plenty of cost that came with Smith – Fuller, valuable draft capital, and the four-year extension given to him the day after the trade. That deal, taking Smith through 2022, gave Smith $23.5MM per year, making him the sixth-highest paid QB in the NFL at the time of signing.
Two years later, it’s hard to get a true read on the Redskins’ end of this blockbuster deal. Smith led the club to a 6-3 start in his first season with the Redskins, but a gruesome leg injury in Week 11 changed everything. The compound and spiral fracture to his tibia and fibula required complicated surgery, and the post-surgery infection that he developed led to 17 more operations. Smith missed all of 2019 and no one knows when, or if, he’ll return to football. For his part, Smith says he still wants to play.
“I still have dreams of getting back to where I was and getting back out there,” Smith said in January. “This has been a crazy ride with a lot of unforeseen turns, but without a doubt, that’s still my goal.”
Smith, now 35, is set to count $21.4MM against the Redskins’ cap this year. No cap savings can be gained by releasing him until 2021.
In Kansas City, Mahomes lit the NFL on fire, leading the league with 50 passing touchdowns against just 12 interceptions. He was unstoppable again in 2019 – even a fairly serious knee injury could only limit him for a few weeks. This week, he’ll lead the Chiefs into the Super Bowl, where they’ll aim for their first championship since 1970.
Redskins Work Out Seantrel Henderson
Veteran offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson, released by the Texans last year, worked out for the Redskins on Wednesday (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Field Yates). Henderson could be a candidate for the 90-man offseason roster, giving the Redskins an interesting depth candidate for the year ahead. 
Early in his career, he started in 26 contests for the Bills between 2014 and 2015 and proved to be a proficient blocker. However, things took a turn in later seasons.
Henderson was hit with a ten-game substance abuse policy suspension in 2017, his second ban after previously serving a four-game suspension. For his part, Henderson says he was only using marijuana to help treat symptoms of his Crohn’s disease.
Henderson hooked on with the Texans in 2018 and earned a re-up for 2019. But, after Week 1, the 28-year-old was benched, then waived in November. Henderson went on to audition for the Bills, Seahawks, and Ravens, but was unable to find a new club.
The Redskins’ O-Line, without Trent Williams, still managed to perform decently as a unit. This year, new head coach Ron Rivera and new OL coach John Matsko will look to build upon that and they’ll have a healthy Brandon Scherff to help the cause.
Redskins Hire Jeff Zgonina
Mike McCarthy has hired several notable assistants to his first Cowboys staff, and the ex-Packers coach is considering making another big addition. The Cowboys are interviewing former Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards for a staff position, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. While Dallas hired Mike Nolan as DC, McCarthy and Edwards have a long history in the NFC North. The pair coached against one another for years when McCarthy ran Green Bay’s offense, and Edwards has a history in Dallas. He spent four seasons (1998-2001) as the Cowboys’ linebackers coach — his first NFL gig. Edwards, 53, was believed to be in the mix for the Browns’ DC job, but the team prefers 49ers secondary coach Joe Woods for the post.
Here is the latest from the NFC East:
- An Amari Cooper long-term deal with the Cowboys has been on the team’s agenda for over a year, and the Pro Bowl wideout has long expressed a desire to stay. But no agreement is imminent, Cooper said (via NFL.com’s Jane Slater, video link). Stephen Jones identified Cooper as the Cowboys’ No. 2 offseason priority, behind Dak Prescott, and Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk expects a deal to be finalized.
- The neck surgery Leighton Vander Esch underwent this month went well, and Jerry Jones expects the standout linebacker to be ready for OTAs, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News notes. Although Vander Esch was battling nerve damage and missed much of the second half of this season, this was a minimally invasive procedure. However, Vander Esch’s cervical spinal stenosis condition — diagnosed before he became a 2018 first-rounder — makes future neck surgeries problematic, per Gehlken. So this will be a Cowboys situation to monitor going forward.
- Former 49ers defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina will join Ron Rivera‘s Redskins staff, with Washington announcing he will be added as its assistant D-line coach. A former 17-year NFL veteran, Zgonina broke into coaching midway through the 2010s as an assistant D-line coach. The 49ers let him go after the 2018 season, his second with the franchise.
- The Eagles are expected to make major changes to their roster, which could be categorized as aging with numerous starters either north of 30 or set to turn 30 this year. One of the moves will be a switch from Jason Peters to Andre Dillard at left tackle, Zach Berman of The Athletic opines (subscription required). Peters is a free agent and has been Philadelphia’s left tackle since the 2009 season but turned 38 on Thursday.
Redskins Interviewed O'Connell For OC
Since former Mississippi State coworker Joe Judge landed the Giants‘ HC job, Freddie Kitchens has been linked to a staff position. A report circulated Tuesday indicating Judge will hire Kitchens for an unspecified role (Twitter link via AL.com), but ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan tweets nothing is finalized between the Giants and the former Browns coach. The Giants have hired a quarterbacks coach, Jerry Schuplinski, but certainly could add the longtime offensive assistant in another capacity.
Here is the latest from the coaching carousel:
- Before deciding to reunite with Scott Turner, Ron Rivera interviewed 2019 Redskins offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell for the job, J.P. Finlay of NBC Sports Washington notes. Rivera was interested in former Giants HC Pat Shurmur for OC, but he declined the interview and opted for the Broncos’ play-calling job. O’Connell landed on his feet as well, becoming the Rams’ offensive coordinator.
- While the Kitchens hire is not yet certain, veteran secondary coach Jerome Henderson will be joining Judge’s Giants staff, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio tweets. Most recently the Falcons’ DBs coach/defensive passing-game coordinator, the 50-year-old Henderson has also coached the Jets’, Browns’ and Cowboys’ secondaries dating back to 2008. Henderson was a 1991 first-round pick who played eight NFL seasons.
- The Giants will also add Jody Wright to their staff, according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman (Twitter link). Wright worked with Judge at Mississippi State in the 2000s and was most recently an offensive assistant with the Browns under Kitchens in 2019. Wright also spent time at Alabama during the 2010s and was an assistant head coach at UAB prior to relocating to Cleveland.
- On the subject of the Browns, they are not retaining several Kitchens staffers. Most notably, Kevin Stefanski will not bring back quarterbacks coach Ryan Lindley, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Lindley, tight ends coach John Lilly, assistant defensive line coach John Parella and quality control staffers Deuce Schwartz, Tyler Tettleton and Alonso Escalante will not be back. Lindley, 30, served as Browns running backs coach after Kitchens was promoted to OC midway through the 2018 season, and the former quarterback held Cleveland’s QBs coach job this past season.
- The Cardinals hired another recent Browns staffer, bringing in offensive assistant Jim Dray, Yates adds. A former Cardinals seventh-round pick in 2010 as a tight end, Dray played eight seasons — mostly in Arizona and Cleveland — and wound up with the Browns in 2019 as an offensive quality control coach.
- Recently notified he was out in Cleveland, James Campen may have an opportunity with Carolina. The Panthers are interested in the former Browns offensive line coach, David Newton of ESPN.com tweets. Campen was Mike McCarthy‘s offensive line coach from 2007-18 and spent 15 years as a Green Bay assistant prior to his Cleveland move last year. The Browns hired Bill Callahan to replace him on Monday.
Redskins’ Case Keenum Doesn’t Expect To Return
Case Keenum is headed towards free agency and he believes he is headed elsewhere in 2020. 
“I have no idea. I would say probably not,” Keenum said (via NBC Sports’ JP Finlay). “I can’t tell the future though.”
The Redskins, in all likelihood, will move forward with 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins as their starting quarterback. One-time starter Alex Smith‘s status is up in the air, but his contract will remain on the books regardless. That leaves little available cash or playing time potential for Keenum.
“I feel like I played really good football. I know the wins and losses didn’t show it,” said Keenum, who went 1-7 in eight starts. “I’d love another shot to play in this league. So if there’s another chance, another opportunity out there, I’m not sure where that might be, I don’t take these things lightly. I’m going to go compete and make myself better this offseason and hopefully and be ready for whatever team might come calling.”
Keenum, who has suited up for seven different teams in eight different years, will likely add another jersey to his collection this year.
Latest On Reuben Foster
Reuben Foster is hoping to return to the field after suffering a torn ACL, LCL, and MCL. But, in addition to those injuries, the Redskins linebacker was also dealing with nerve damage that left him without feeling in his toes for the last several months, agent Malki Kawa tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. On the plus side – there have been signs of improvement. 
“He’s got feeling in his toes, the underside of his foot, the side of his foot,” Kawa said. “The nerve is starting to fire again.”
Kawa is hopeful that Foster can participate in training camp this summer, but there’s no set timetable for his return. In the meantime, Foster is hoping that stem cell treatment and sessions in hyperbaric chambers will help him return to his old form. The road to recovery won’t be easy, but Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith also came back from the dreaded “drop foot,” so it wouldn’t be unprecedented.
“He’s regaining feeling and power,” said Kawa. “It shows the nerve is firing. When he moves his leg upward, he can feel around the ankle and the top part of the foot. That’s a new thing. The next 60 days are going to be big as far as getting back to normal.”
If the controversial linebacker can retake the field this year, it’ll be a major lift for the Redskins’ front seven under new head coach Ron Rivera.
Redskins Announce 16 Coaching Hires
New Redskins head coach Ron Rivera had already brought in new coordinators on both sides of the ball (Scott Turner on offense, Jack Del Rio on defense), and he’s now filled out the rest of his staff. Rivera and Washington announced the following 16 hires earlier today:
- Pete Hoener, tight ends
- Jim Hostler, wide receivers
- Randy Jordan, running backs
- John Matsko, offensive line
- Drew Terrell, assistant wide receivers
- Travelle Wharton, assistant offensive line
- Ken Zampese, quarterbacks
- Chris Harris, defensive backs
- Sam Mills III, defensive line
- Richard Rodgers, assistant defensive backs
- Steve Russ, linebackers
- Brent Vieselmeyer, assistant defensive backs
- Luke Del Rio, offensive quality control
- Ben Jacobs, assistant special teams
- Vincent Rivera, defensive quality control
- Todd Storm, offensive quality control
Both Hostler and Zampese have both previously served as offensive coordinators. Hostler was the 49ers’ OC for a single season in 2007 under head coach Mike Nolan, but was fired after only one year at the helm. Zampese, meanwhile, was the Bengals’ offensive playcaller in 2016 and part of 2017 before being let go. He’s since coached for the Browns, the AAF’s Atlanta Legends, and the University of Florida.
Unsurprisingly, a number of new Redskins coached worked under Rivera in Carolina, including Hoener, Hostler, Matsko, Terrell, Wharton, Mills, Rodgers, and Russ.
Poll: Which NFL Team Made The Best Hire?
This year’s head coaching cycle came and went in a flash. The Redskins, Cowboys, Panthers, and Giants moved quickly to find their new sideline leaders and the Browns weren’t far behind as they filled their vacancy on January 11th. 
Now that the dust has settled, we want your take on the best hire of the bunch:
Ron Rivera, Redskins: The Panthers axed Rivera in early December, just before he could finish his ninth season at the helm. Quickly, the Redskins identified him as their top target to take over for interim head coach Bill Callahan, who had been holding down the fort since Jay Gruden‘s midseason dismissal. The Panthers struggled in 2019 without one-time MVP Cam Newton under center, but Rivera comes to D.C. with an impressive resume that includes four playoff appearances, three NFC South titles, and a Super Bowl appearance. The Redskins, meanwhile, haven’t been to the big game since their Super Bowl XXVI victory over the Bills following the 1991 season. Or, to put it another way – more than five years before quarterback Dwayne Haskins was born.
Mike McCarthy, Cowboys: During the season, many speculated that the Cowboys would make a splash by luring former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer out of retirement. Instead, once the Cowboys finally fired Jason Garrett, they restricted their search to experienced NFL head coaches. Only two candidates formally interviewed for the job and McCarthy got the nod over longtime Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. McCarthy clashed with Aaron Rodgers down the stretch in Green Bay, but he’s also credited with grooming him into one of the league’s top quarterbacks. The Cowboys are hopeful that McCarthy can have a similar impact on Dak Prescott’s development.
Matt Rhule, Panthers: The Panthers backed up a Brinks truck to hire former Baylor head coach Matt Rhule. Rhule is credited with turning around the Baylor program and, before that, the Temple program. Despite his lack of pro experience, teams have been eyeing him for the last couple of years. He was also hot during the last cycle, but a would-be deal with the Jets was nixed when Gang Green insisted on picking his assistants for him. This time around, Rhule had all the leverage he needed to get full control over his staff, and a lucrative contract that could pay him anywhere between $60 and $70MM.
Joe Judge, Giants: The Giants were infatuated with Rhule, but they were only willing to go so far. They were also blown away by Judge, who previously served as the Patriots’ special teams coach. Judge didn’t have the household name value of other candidates, but the Giants see him as someone who can handle the New York press and get the most out of young QB Daniel Jones.
Kevin Stefanski, Browns: Stefanski joined the Vikings in 2006 and climbed the ladder to become the team’s offensive coordinator midway through the 2018 season. In 2019, Stefanski’s first full season at the helm, the Vikings ranked as a top-10 offense in points while the the trio of Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, and Mike Boone cracked the top six in rushing yards and touchdowns. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins turned in one of his best seasons yet. The Browns have one of the game’s most promising young QBs in Baker Mayfield and a talented backfield group, so they saw Stefanski as a perfect fit, even though the Vikings came up short in the round.
Cast your vote below (link for app users) and back up your choice in the comments.
Who Was The Best HC Hire?
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Ron Rivera, Redskins 36% (2,048)
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Mike McCarthy, Cowboys 34% (1,896)
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Kevin Stefanski, Browns 10% (577)
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Matt Rhule, Panthers 10% (569)
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Joe Judge, Giants 9% (530)
Total votes: 5,620
Redskins Promote Kyle Smith To VP Of Player Personnel
The Redskins continue to shake up their front office. Washington has promoted Kyle Smith to vice president of player personnel, per a team announcement.
Smith, who served as the Redskins’ director of college personnel for the past three seasons, will assume the role that Doug Williams held before his recent reassignment to a non-personnel position. When new Washington head coach Ron Rivera spoke to reporters at his introductory press conference, he spoke highly of the club’s last three draft classes, which Smith oversaw.
Smith, 35, has spent 10 seasons with Washington and has long been mentioned as a future GM candidate. In his new role, he will oversee both the college and pro personnel aspects of the front office.
Recent reports have indicated that the Redskins will seek a new GM after the draft, though JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington suggests that, if Smith performs well over the next few months, Washington may forego such a hire and move forward with its present structure.
Smith, the son of former Chargers GM A.J. Smith, has received high praise from Rivera — who worked with the elder Smith during his time with the Bolts — and Redskins owner Dan Snyder.
“Kyle Smith has put in the work over the last 10 seasons and has proven to be a skilled talent evaluator,” Snyder said. Rivera added, “I have been impressed with Kyle’s track record and player evaluation process, and I’m confident in the vision we share for the future of the Washington Redskins.”
Redskins Rearrange Front Office
Ron Rivera continues to make changes in Washington. In addition to the Redskins parting ways with football operations vice president Eric Schaffer, they will reassign another key front office executive.
Previously working as the Redskins’ senior VP of player personnel, Doug Williams will move out of a personnel role but stay with the team. Williams will now work as the Redskins’ senior vice president of player development, reporting to Rivera.
The former Super Bowl MVP played a key role in shaping recent Redskins rosters, doing so under Bruce Allen as the franchise separated from GM Scot McCloughan. But Rivera and a to-be-determined GM (who will likely be hired after the draft) will now be atop the team’s decision-making structure. Former Panthers exec Rob Rogers will be in that picture as well.
Rogers will join the Redskins as their senior VP of football administration. Rogers handled negotiations for the Panthers and managed the cap; he was with the franchise for all 25 years of its existence. Also heading up the Panthers’ analytics department, Rogers marks an interesting addition to the Redskins given his lengthy tenure in Charlotte.
Washington’s plan did not initially include parting ways with Schaffer, whom Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports was being tabbed to remain a key front office presence (Twitter link). However, that was contingent on Rivera being comfortable working with the 17-year Redskins exec. Schaffer will likely be with another team soon.
The Redskins are also promoting Malcolm Blacken to senior director of player development, where he’ll work with Williams, per ESPN.com’s John Keim (on Twitter). Blacken served as the Redskins’ director of player development for six years; Rivera will keep him in a familiar capacity.