Dunbar Done in D.C.?
Quinton Dunbar apparently still wants to get traded or released by the Redskins.
So much for the reported progress of a week ago after a conversation with Rick "Doc" Walker and a meeting with Ron Rivera about his status and future.
Assuming that all of the reporting is correct here and we should point out that John Keim and J.P. Finlay first did the original work on this, Dunbar wanting out is enough for me to say this.
Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out, pal.
I like Dunbar as a player. He's clearly the best defensive back the Redskins have. He's an amazing success story and he's underpaid.
All of that can be true, without being forced to do something that either sets a bad precedent or doesn't make sense.
A talented player whining and crying about his contract to the media and making threats is not something teams should want to reward.
There's no chance I would do that. Handle the process correctly, privately and professionally and we can talk.
Handle it like Dunbar has and you can go kick rocks.
In Josina Anderson's report about Dunbar, she mentions that he wanted a "reasonable contract restructure but the club declined the conversation."
As I squawked about in the Google News Initiative/Locked on Redskins report above, what is Dunbar's definition of "reasonable"?
Here's how the veteran cornerback looks in terms of long-term contracts.
If Dunbar is looking for top-tier money at $14 million plus, because other teams made mistakes in free agency and taking care of their own - that's not reasonable.
Reasonable might be $10 million per year. A significant bump over what he's making but lower than the top-end of the market. That to me would be something I could consider 'reasonable' based on the market.
Dunbar hasn't been healthy enough and elite enough to pay him what the market yielded for everyone else.
Perhaps the Redskins might be able to get a second-round pick that they are missing for Dunbar? It's unlikely but in a passing league, if someone really covets him - we can't rule it out.
Dallas? They seem poised to lose Byron Jones. Jacksonville? They lost Jalen Ramsey and Jay Gruden is their offensive coordinator plus they have plenty of draft capital.
Carolina? They seem to be ready to lose James Bradberry, who appears to be intent on playing for Rivera again. Kansas City? The Chiefs might lose Bashaud Breeland and Kendall Fuller.
Either way, it's safe to say at this point, Dunbar does not deserve to be rewarded with a contract extension or a restructure because he handled it wrong and has doubled down on his desire to get out of D.C.
If Ron Rivera is truly the new sheriff in town - fans that want to keep Dunbar are just going to have to understand that you don't set a new culture by rewarding someone who handled a situation as bad as you can possibly handle it.
Chris Russell is the Publisher of RedskinsReport.com & Sports Illustrated's Washington Redskins channel. He can be heard on 106.7 The FAN in the Washington D.C. area and world-wide on Radio.com. Chris also hosts the "Locked on Redskins" Podcast and can be read via subscription to Warpath Magazine. You can e-mail Chris at russellmania09@Gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @Russellmania621.
