The Denver Broncos agreed to trade a fourth-round draft pick to the Baltimore Ravens for quarterback Joe Flacco last week. Though the move will not become official until the new league year begins on March 13, Flacco has already taken a physical examination in Denver.
Before Baltimore agreed to terms with the Broncos, they had discussions with another NFL team. The Washington Redskins were also interested in Flacco, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.
Alex Smith, the Redskins’ starting quarterback, suffered a compound leg fracture last year and he may miss the entire 2019 season. Washington traded cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third-round draft pick to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for Smith last offseason.
ESPN’s John Keim tweeted Monday that the Redskins’ trade talks with the Ravens did not last long in part because of Washington’s salary cap situation.
The Redskins currently have just $17,719,921 in 2019 salary cap space, according to OverTheCap.com. Flacco is set to earn a base salary of $18.5 million this year and Denver does not plan to restructure his contract.
The Broncos currently have around $37,522,409 in salary cap space, according to OverTheCap.com. That likely helped the team get a deal done with Baltimore before Washington was able to sort out its cap space and make an official offer.
