The Washington Redskins have reportedly agreed to acquire Case Keenum from the Denver Broncos. Here’s a look at the official compensation included in the deal.
The Redskins have made a blockbuster trade for a quarterback. Again. Well, maybe this time it’s not exactly a blockbuster, but they landed a potential starter for next season.
Case Keenum has reportedly been traded to the Redskins. Keenum was the starter for the Denver Broncos last season and had a decent season at best. He went 6-10 in 16 starts totaling 3,890 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. He was a bit inconsistent with his accuracy and that’s what led to him having so many turnovers.
Keenum will be a solid, veteran presence for the team, but he doesn’t offer a lot of long-term upside. He is going to be a stopgap replacement until Alex Smith can return, and Keenum will at least ensure that the team won’t have to draft a quarterback early in 2019.
Of course, the compensation to get Keenum was always going to be important, but it seems that the Redskins came out on the right end of the deal. Here’s a look at the compensation, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The #Broncos and #Redskins have agreed to terms on a trade to send QB Case Keenum to Washington for draft picks and with an adjusted contract, sources say. Broncos get Skins 6th, Washington get a 7th.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 7, 2019
And for Keenum’s re-worked contract, we turn to 9News’ Mike Klis.
All things considered, this isn’t a bad deal. Keenum is just a year removed from getting the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship game. He has some talent and at the very worst, the team will have a slightly below average starter. Keenum will battle Colt McCoy for the starting job, and that’s a solid quarterback competition for Washington.
However, the bigger part of this deal is that the Redskins didn’t give up much to get Keenum. They moved down one round very late in the 2019 NFL Draft. They still have the same amount of draft capital, but one pick is just a round or so later. Also, they only have to pay $3.5 million of Keenum’s contract. That will save them valuable cash assets and will give them a chance to target some other players in NFL free agency.
On the surface, trading for Keenum is a solid move for the Redskins. They didn’t have a lot of talent at quarterback coming into the offseason, but now they have at least two players that could be functional starters at quarterback if needed. They didn’t have to give up a lot, so chalk this up as a decent move by the front office. It doesn’t have the same luster as a trade for a younger quarterback (Josh Rosen) but for the relative cost, it’s solid.