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[joecrisp]

Originally Posted by Bergman14

of course! I thought that was common knowledge, no way we should have given up a 2cd round draft pick

In addition to the points made by "DBB!", it should also be noted that the disparities in contract values also have to be taken into consideration when evaluating this trade. Bailey was only going to sign a contract that would make him one of the wealthiest defensive players in the league. In order to obtain him, the Broncos had to accept that kind of contract burden, while parting with an elite runningback whose contract was way below market value.

Granted, Portis was prepared to holdout on the Broncos, but he was still under contract-- Bailey was not. Of course, the Redskins turned around and gave Portis a fat new contract, but that was a goodwill gesture to keep their new star player happy and not immediately create a negative atmosphere.

Under the terms of the trade, when it was consummated, the Broncos were taking on a tremendously expensive player contract, while the Redskins were alleviating themselves of that heavy cap burden and taking on a much smaller one. Both players are supremely talented-- that's not the question. It's a question of which player was the greater cap burden. In this case, it was clearly Bailey, and that's why-- along with the other reasons indicated by other posters-- the Redskins had to sacrifice the 2nd round pick.