INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 25 -- Talks between left tackle Chris Samuels and the Washington Redskins drew to a halt Friday, delaying a trade that would ship unhappy wide receiver Laveranues Coles to his former team, the New York Jets, for wide receiver Santana Moss. Although several teams have made offers for Coles, the Redskins have reached an agreement with the Jets on acquiring Moss -- once Washington creates enough salary-cap room by restructuring Samuels's deal, according to several NFL sources.
Nonetheless, Samuels and the Redskins didn't have any substantive talks Friday after Samuels's agent balked at Washington's latest offer Thursday, sources said. Samuels and the Redskins are expected to restart talks Saturday morning.
Owner Daniel Snyder and vice president Vinny Cerrato declined to comment Friday night when approached in the hotel where Redskins officials are staying for the Indianapolis football combine. Samuels's agent, Jimmy Sexton, also declined to comment.
Moss, a 2001 first-round pick out of the University of Miami, becomes a free agent after the 2005 season for which he is scheduled to earn $448,000. But the Moss-for-Coles proposal is so firm, according to sources, that an understanding exists that Moss will receive an extension from Washington after March 2 -- the first day that NFL trades can become official.
Once Coles is dealt, one source said, the Redskins will ship wideout Rod Gardner for a draft pick. But the dominoes remain in place because last week's deal by left tackle Walter Jones of the Seattle Seahawks has become the barometer during negotiations. Jones, who has made the Pro Bowl four consecutive seasons, signed a seven-year, $52.5 million contract, which included a $16 million bonus.
His contract caused the Redskins to restart talks with Samuels after a month-long impasse. In January, both sides exchanged proposals before talks ended when Washington rejected the last one by Samuels. When talks restarted this week, the Redskins increased their offer, but Samuels declined after factoring in Jones's contract. Sources said late Friday night that the Redskins haven't budged on their offer.
By reaching a new deal with Samuels, the Redskins are expected to acquire the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Moss, an explosive wide receiver with speed, and also a dynamic punt returner. Moss, who has been injury-prone, had his best season in 2003: 74 catches for 1,105 yards and 10 touchdowns. But he had only 45 catches for 838 yards last season and struggled as a punt returner.
The potential trade was viewed by several NFL general managers and scouts as favoring the Jets partly because Moss hasn't realized his potential after four NFL seasons, while Coles has made the Pro Bowl.
Still, by dealing Coles, the Redskins would gain something in return for a disgruntled wideout who Washington obtained in 2003 as a restricted free agent by giving up a first-round pick. According to one source familiar with the situation, the Redskins are so intent on trading Coles that as a last resort the club is even exploring other salary-cap scenarios in which they can complete the Moss-for-Coles trade without relying on Samuels's restructuring.
Snyder reportedly preferred Moss over Gardner in the 2001 draft. But then-coach Marty Schottenheimer, who had the final say on personnel, selected Gardner with Washington's first-round pick. But Moss's stock in the Jets' organization has fallen so far that the club had been considering dropping him to their No. 3 wide receiver next season and finding a No. 1 wide receiver to pair with Justin McCareins. Although Coles has a hurt toe, the Jets envision the 5-11, 193-pounder as their No. 1 wide receiver. Jets quarterback Chad Pennington has urged the organization to reacquire Coles, one source said.
In 2002, Coles had 89 catches for a career-high 1,264 yards for a 14.2 yards per catch. Coles grew frustrated in Gibbs's run-oriented offense, in which he averaged a career-low 10.6 yards per catch. According to a source close to Coles, the Jets have been one of his preferred teams. But Coles is conflicted about the trade, the source said, because the receiver believes that Washington reneged on an oral agreement to release him in exchange for forfeiting a $5 million deferred signing bonus payment due April 1.
But in that case, the Redskins wouldn't get anything in return, although the club would have more salary-cap room to acquire other free agents. The drawback to trading Coles without him restructuring is that Washington loses salary-cap room that it initially planned to use on quality free agents.
