The Washington Redskins have a lot of roster decisions to make if they want to be back in the playoffs next year. Outside of Kirk Cousins, plenty of questions remain for the team as there could be cap casualties in the coming months. With Kirk Cousins the first priority for Jay Gruden and company, what happens to some of the high-priced players on the roster?
Attention will shift to the wide receiver position and the large amount of money owed to DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. There has been a lot of speculation regarding Jackson's future with the team. He has struggled a lot with injuries, especially this season, but when on the field he is nearly unmatchable to the opposing defense. There has been reports regarding tension between Jackson and general manager Scot McCloughan while many wonder if the receiver is truly worth the $9.25 million cap charge he has to his name.
According to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, the chances are high that Jackson sticks around. The Redskins only save $3 million if they release him which is not a big chunk of change. When compared to the $15 million owed to AJ Green and $14.25 million owed to Julio Jones, Jackson is a bargain for the Redskins. At the moment he is their best deep threat and his chemistry with Cousins could go a long way in 2016. There is a chance the Redskins try to restructure Jackson's contract, but chances are slim they straight up release him.
Garcon is a bigger question mark. The aging veteran is entering the final year of his contract. He will be a $10.2 million cap charge while Washington would save $8.2 million if he is released. That is a good amount of money making the move worth it. However, can the Redskins afford to lose someone who's impact is bigger off the field in terms of leadership and work ethic? They could try and replace him with a younger player like Travis Benjamin or Rishard Matthews while also looking to the NFL Draft. Considering the rise of Jordan Reed, Garcon might be the odd man out.
While the Redskins work to figure out the worth of Cousins, they also need to make a call on Alfred Morris who was the lead running back this year, but still unimpressive considering what he did his rookie season. With Matt Jones playing behind him, the contract demands of Morris could play a serious role in what the team does moving forward. Morris made it clear he is hopeful to return.
"When I first came into the league, no matter what team I went to, I just wanted to do my whole career with the same team," Morris said, via ESPN.com. "That's still my goal. I would love to return, but a lot goes into that. I haven't thought about that. You all keep bringing it up, but we'll see what happens."
The Redskins will first begin talks with Cousins and see how much cap space they will have with that contract. The quarterback's deal could go a long way in determining whether or not Jackson or Garcon get to come back.
