By Len Pasquarelli

ESPN.com

 

The Redskins are closing in on a trade to acquire Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell, several team and NFL sources told ESPN.com.

 

 

A deal for Brunell could be completed in the coming week if all the components fall into line.

 

 

Parties to the negotiations were working this weekend to arrange a Monday meeting between Brunell and new Redskins coach Joe Gibbs.

 

 

Sources said that many of the principal parameters of the trade, which would officially end Brunell's very productive nine-year tenure with the Jaguars, have been completed. They cautioned, however, there are some details on which the teams are still working. One league source termed the swap "an almost-done deal" but one "that's still in the oven."

 

 

None of the sources would say what Jacksonville will receive as the compensation for parting with a player who defined the quick success of the one-time expansion franchise. Jaguars officials acknowleged privately last week that they have been offered a second-round draft pick for Brunell by an unspecified team.

 

 

If the deal is completed, it would leave in question the future of Redskins incumbent starter Patrick Ramsey, the two-year veteran who finished the 2003 season on injured reserve with a broken foot.

 

 

That the 33-year-old Brunell would not return to the Jaguars in 2004 has been essentially known for more than a year. The 11-year veteran, who led Jacksonville to a pair of AFC championship game appearances, sports a salary cap charge of $10.5 million for 2004. That includes a base salary of $6.5 million but, more important, a $2 million roster bonus due on March 1.

 

 

It has long been a given that the Jaguars would either trade or release Brunell before that signing bonus was due. By dealing Brunell, the team will absorb just a $2 million salary cap charge, for a prorated signing bonus share, and will recoup $8.5 million of cap room.

 

 

If the deal is completed, Brunell almost certainly will sign a new, multi-year contract with the Redskins. Trade negotiations between the Redskins and Jaguars were accelerated in recent days. It will be left for agent Leigh Steinberg, who represents Brunell, to strike a contract accord with Redskins officials.

 

 

There were reports during Super Bowl week that the Dolphins would ardently pursue Brunell, either via trade or after he was released, but Redskins officials have been working with great stealth to complete his acquisition.

 

 

Brunell originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round choice of the Packers in the 1993 draft. After two seasons in Green Bay, where he appeared in just two games and logged only 27 pass attempts, Brunell was traded to Jacksonville in 1995 for third- and fifth-round draft choices. He assumed the Jaguars' starting job shortly into his tenure in Jacksonville and held that spot for eight seasons.

 

 

In the third game of the 2003 campaign, Brunell suffered an elbow injury, opening the door for rookie Byon Leftwich, the club's first-round draft pick, to supplant him. Brunell never played another snap in a Jags uniform.

 

 

For his NFL career, he has completed 2,196 of 3,643 passes for 25,793 yards, with 144 touchdown passes, 86 interceptions and an 85.2 efficiency rating. In his three starts last season, he threw for 484 yards and had two touchdown passes and no interceptions.

 

 

He has started in 117 of his 122 appearances and was named to the AFC Pro Bowl team on three occasions. The former University of Washington standout, of course, holds all of the Jacksonville franchise passing records. Under his stewardship, the Jaguars advanced to the conference title game in 1996 and 1999 but lost both times.

 

 

Washington had not been mentioned as a potential suitor for Brunell's services but Gibbs might be seeking a more veteran quarterback.

 

 

Should the Redskins land Brunell, it will be interesting to see what the team does with Ramsey, its first-round choice in the 2002 draft. The former Tulane standout started 11 games in 2003, completing 179 of 337 passes for 2,166 yards. He had 14 touchdown throws, nine interceptions and a passer rating of 75.8. Among the league's most sacked quarterbacks last season, Ramsey earned respect around the NFL for his toughness and grit and his potential is highly-regarded.

 

 

Ramsey, 24, is under contract through the 2006 season and his salaries and cap charges are not exorbitant, meaning Washington could retain him and allow Brunell, in part, to serve as his mentor.

 

 

It is difficult to imagine Brunell agreeing to any deal to a team where he did not have assurances of at least competing for the starting job. Steinberg reiterated last week at the Super Bowl that Brunell still believes he can be a starter for several more seasons

how many dolphin fans will whine over this?

not this one.

 

Give me a qb about a decade younger please

i aint gonna whine, ^ what jburqe said

I find this very surprising. I think Ramsey has the ability to be a good quarterback in the league. He just needs a line that can protect him.

I find this very surprising. I think Ramsey has the ability to be a good quarterback in the league. He just needs a line that can protect him.

Doesn't look like Snyder is willing to wait for Ramsey.

 

Or maybe this is all on Gibbs since it did just recently surface.

If you Know Gibbs like I do he likes to always have to two capable QB's that can win in the NFL. I just don't like giving up a 2nd round pick for a 33 year old QB.

i'm glad he's getting scooped up.

 

it keeps us from making one less personnel mistake.

I wanted us to get Brunell, so that he could fill in until a younger franchise QB could fit in. For the next couple of years, we need to try and go for that Super Bowl win. If we pull back into a rebuilding mode now, we'll squander the careers of guys like Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas, etc., who don't have that many years left.

I wanted us to get Brunell, so that he could fill in until a younger franchise QB could fit in. For the next couple of years, we need to try and go for that Super Bowl win. If we pull back into a rebuilding mode now, we'll squander the careers of guys like Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas, etc., who don't have that many years left.

I agree we need to win now before our defense gets old. Which could come in less than 2 years. Burnell would have been a great signee at QB.

 

Also I think its stupid for the Redskins because Ramsey can be more than a average QB if he had a better line and a running game to help take pressure off him. If I were the Redskins I'd get a RB first before a QB.

Brunell>Ramsey

 

I don't think Ramsey's going anywhere.

people you can win with fielder.

 

 

 

your problems is that your line is horrendous.

 

 

fix that and you fix your team.

 

 

instead you have been focusing on acquiring names such as Griese and Seau recently.

people you can win with fielder.

Sorry, nobody can win with Fiedler. Just watch him pass, his arm is horrible. He has very bad accuracy as well.

people you can win with fielder.

 

 

 

your problems is that your line is horrendous.

 

 

fix that and you fix your team.

 

 

instead you have been focusing on acquiring names such as Griese and Seau recently.

I agree we can win with Fielder but Brunell is the better QB and if we could acquire him, I'd like them to. Never was a fan of starting Griese like other Dolphins fans because I actually saw him play in Denver and he sucked there too.

 

And I dont think any Dolphin fan doesnt agree that our biggest need is up front in the trenches.

Yes, we're in desperate need of OL. It's management's fault, they know that we've been in need of new players there for years, and they rarely try to get anyone. Drafting Todd Wade was hardly a big deal.

people you can win with fielder.

Sorry, nobody can win with Fiedler. Just watch him pass, his arm is horrible. He has very bad accuracy as well. Have we EVER had a losing record under Jay Fiedler? Quit your whining. Das is 100% correct. It's vitually ALL the line.

the majority of you people need to learn football.

 

 

 

when you have a good/above average defense like the dolphins have had, you win with defense.

 

 

when you have a running back like ricky williams...there should be absolutely NO excuse to miss the playoffs.

 

 

the playcalling down the stretch was idiotic. not feeding ricky the ball is riduclious.

 

last offseason that idiotic front office should have focused on the line.

 

but the dolphins brass is more interested in bringing in teh 'big name' to appease the fair weather fans than they are in winning.

 

 

see the marino move. wanny will never lead the dolphins to anything.

 

 

any coach could lead the dolphins to 10 win seasons with the talent they have.

people you can win with fielder.

Sorry, nobody can win with Fiedler. Just watch him pass, his arm is horrible. He has very bad accuracy as well. Have we EVER had a losing record under Jay Fiedler? Quit your whining. Das is 100% correct. It's vitually ALL the line. Have you watched Fiedler play? It's awful to watch.

the playcalling down the stretch was idiotic. not feeding ricky the ball is riduclious.

Considering that he led the NFL in carries, I wouldn't quite say they didn't feed him the ball, but nonetheless I get your point and agree.

people you can win with fielder.

Sorry, nobody can win with Fiedler. Just watch him pass, his arm is horrible. He has very bad accuracy as well. Have we EVER had a losing record under Jay Fiedler? Quit your whining. Das is 100% correct. It's vitually ALL the line. Have you watched Fiedler play? It's awful to watch. I'm an avid dolphin fan. I've seen him play, and the man has no skill whatsoever.

 

But to say that "you can't win with Jay Fiedler" is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, considering that we have never had a losing season with him taking the snaps.

look at the record of the dolphins with fiedler playing recently.

 

 

it comes down to this people....you cant have all pros at every spot.

 

 

the dolphins would be wise to win by playing 'ugly' football.

 

 

their biggest strength is their defense and their running back.

 

 

you tweak your defense and get a line that can actually put their hat on another hat and win and you win football games.

 

 

the NFL is now a league that doesnt need a star QB to win.

I wanted us to get Brunell, so that he could fill in until a younger franchise QB could fit in. For the next couple of years, we need to try and go for that Super Bowl win. If we pull back into a rebuilding mode now, we'll squander the careers of guys like Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas, etc., who don't have that many years left.

I agree we need to win now before our defense gets old. Which could come in less than 2 years. Burnell would have been a great signee at QB.

 

Also I think its stupid for the Redskins because Ramsey can be more than a average QB if he had a better line and a running game to help take pressure off him. If I were the Redskins I'd get a RB first before a QB. Dude where is the weakness on the offensive line? Only position that may need an upgrade is Center. It's pretty hard to protect the QB when the D knows your going to throw the damn football each time out. Samuels and Jansen are two book end Tackles. There strengths though are suited for running the football. Thomas is on of the best guards in the NFL. Dockery was only a rookie this past year and really came on strong towards the end of the season. Moore (Center) sucks though.

Brunell was overrated in his hey day, he played in a time where a QB with running potential was unknown. Therefore it was tougher to build defenses around it and was tough to control.

 

Now it's standard procedure to be ready for a running QB which is a key factor in his downfall. Look at teams like THe Giants, they used to be abismal at stopping Donovan when he first hit his peak(even with The Defensive Genius, John Fox), now they have gotten better at controlling him without Fox.

 

The Skins are in for a big suprise, if they think Brunell is their answer. If The Giants rebuild their O- Line, Dallas doesn't rape themselves, and The Eagles give Andy Reid something respectable to work with, The Skins are still aways away.

nobody's even asking for an all star QB

 

jay fiedler is far, far, far below average out of the starting QBs in the nfl.

 

our winning and our great record the past two seasons is a testament to ricky williams and our outstanding defense. if you watched any games, you'd notice that our offense could barely score points, and when it did, it was done without any passing game at all.

 

the fact that we have no passing attack is reason enough to warrant getting rid of feidler. to say, "well, we won a lot of games, so we should keep fiedler" is flawed. we won despite fiedler, not because of him.

 

last season our line sucked. the season before, our line was great. what's the one constant? fiedler not being able to connect on passes longer than 10 yards.

 

we got f***ed last year because all the opposing defenses would do is stack the line and effectively nullify any offensive attack we had (ricky). they dare us to throw and jay can't do anything about it.

 

in addition to fixing the offensive line, we need someone who can throw the ball. no one is asking for star names. i thought getting junior seau was a dumb move, and i thought getting brian griese was the most retarded thing ever.

 

to say, "the team wins a lot of games with jay fiedler as QB, so he should be kept," defies logic. then again, that's the same logic huizenga applied in keepin wannstedt, so who knows? i hope spielman isn't that dumb...

didnt the dolphins put up a huge day in teh air against the cowboys on thanksgiving?