Those inside the Washington Redskins organization expected a bit of regression from wide receiver Pierre Garcon this past season. After all, the Skins had gone out and added DeSean Jackson and Andre Roberts last offseason. But Garcon's production this season - 68 catches for 752 yards and three touchdowns - barely even approached the career numbers he produced in 2013 - 113 catches for 1,346 yards and five touchdowns.
Garcon is set to count $9.7 million against the salary cap in 2015. It's fair of Washington to wonder if his recent production is even worth that much. The Redskins could stand to save 45.3 million if they trade or cut Garcon this offseason.
So what is Garcon's trade value right now?
"Jackson would move up to be the clear No. 1 receiver (if he wasn't already), Andre Roberts would move out of the slot and become the No. 2 receiver," Rich Tandler of RealRedskins.com wrote. "Perhaps they would go with Ryan Grant as the third receiver, splitting him out wide and putting Roberts in the slot.
"Or maybe the No. 3 would be a free agent they signed with some of the money saved with Garcon gone or a player drafted with the pick acquired in a Garcon trade. I'd guess that would be about a third-round pick. The player himself might be worth more than that but teams don't just trade for a player, they also trade for the contract. And with those cap numbers, a team would only give up so much."
The deciding factor may be up to Washington's coaches. If they can carve out a sizable role for Garcon in this offense, he would be more valuable to the team.
"This is why there was some concern from Garcon's side about his future," ESPN Redskins reporter John Keim wrote. "It's a big cap hit for a guy whose role has changed. He still led the team in receptions, but he went from 113 in 2013 to 68 this past season. And he caught only five third-down passes compared to 32 the previous year. Garcon can still help them, but they haven't figured out how."
