Brady, Brees, Rivers & more lead free agent class. Should Redskins sign any?

Tom Brady is a free agent. Think the Redskins will sign him? What about Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers, Dak Prescott or Ryan Tannehill? Think the Redskins will sign them?

In past years, these tweets would have been relentless. There was no fantasy tale too tall for the Redskins not to be linked.

And yet, the silence over pending free agency is amazing. There’s zero buzz over the Redskins getting any of these quarterbacks and rightfully so. It’s not happening, but what’s changed that Washington is no longer the source of offseason rumors as free agency begins March 18?

Brady would be a quintessential Dan Snyder signing. The best passer ever for a team that’s never truly replaced Joe Theismann after injured in 1985. Brady would be worth any price because fans would flood FedEx Field to see him. Same goes for Brees. If Johnny Unitas could be traded from his beloved Baltimore Colts to San Diego for one last season, anything is possible.

But it seems the Redskins owner has finally grown up and realized money doesn’t buy success. Oh, the one good thing former team president Bruce Allen did was largely curtail Snyder’s silly spending sprees, but Allen is thankfully gone after a decade of defeats and Snyder has plenty of salary cap space to improve this team.

The Redskins do need a quarterback, after all. The notion that Alex Smith will play once more is a long shot. For now, the team is rightfully encouraging his rehab as far as it will go, but in the end Smith probably and shouldn’t play again.

That leaves Dwayne Haskins as the only quarterback on the roster. Free agents Case Keenum and Colt McCoy probably won’t return. McCoy didn’t even return from the final game, heading straight home instead.

Haskins is probably the starter notwithstanding coach speak by newcomer Ron Rivera, who rightfully said the passer must earn the job after a disappointing rookie season. The first-rounder flashed some potential before injured, but not enough to convince everyone he’s the future. Washington must consider drafting Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the second overall pick on April 23.

The Redskins will go quarterback shopping in free agency if only for a veteran backup. But the chance for Brady or Brees would normally rock Snyder’s world. If Rivera wants either, Snyder is willing to spend the money.

But Rivera brings some elder statesmanship to the Redskins that predecessor Jay Gruden lacked. Rivera doesn’t care about ticket sales or headlines so the temptation is lessened, especially given this team isn’t simply a quarterback away from contention.

The one wild card is Rivers. He’s clearly not returning to the Los Angeles Chargers after recently moving his family to Florida. The former ACC passer has some local buzz and may have a couple more productive seasons in him while Haskins further matures.

Most likely, the Redskins look down the free agent list to a Marcus Mariota or Teddy Bridgewater. A good veteran backup is always needed.

But the days of winning the offseason with marquee free agency signings just don’t seem the Redskins way anymore.

Rick Snider is an award-winning sports writer who has covered Washington sports since 1978. He first wrote about the Redskins in 1983 before becoming a beat writer in 1993. Snider currently writes for several national and international publications and is a Washington tour guide. Follow Rick on Twitter at @Snide_Remarks.

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