The Washington Football Team had their bye week last week, but that did not stop the headlines. With Tuesday’s trade deadline closing in, rumors have emerged for Washington, particularly about recently benched quarterback Dwayne Haskins and veteran defensive end Ryan Kerrigan.
Washington head coach Ron Rivera won’t speculate on the rumors. Yet, he recently gave his thoughts on why the rumors exists, telling NBC Sports’ JP Finlay, “somebody wants it out there.”
Last week a report surfaced that a Haskins’ trade is “Inevitable” just one year after Washington drafted him 15th overall. A second report stated the team was open to trading him for the right price. However, they are not shopping him.
The second-year quarterback has been inactive for the last three games since being benched from starter to third string. It’s a move that usually signals a team giving up on a player. However, Rivera has maintained he has not quit on Haskins.
Sunday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Kerrigan had requested a trade, but Washington was unwilling to deal him. His playing time has diminished as he has taken a backseat to No. 2 overall pick Chase Young and 2019 first-round pick Montez Sweat. Yet, he is second on the team with four sacks.
Despite a 2-5 record, Washington is still in the hunt to win the woeful NFC East. Holding on to Kerrigan makes sense, except he is in the final year of his contract, and the chances are slim he would re-sign with the team.
Neither player has publicly expressed their desire to be traded. Washington appears to be in no rush to move on from either player. But according to Rivera, someone may be providing leads to the media to push a trade.
