The Pete Kendall saga with the Jets is finally over, as the unhappy offensive lineman is soon to be traded to the Washington Redskins for fifth-round pick in 2008 or a fourth-round pick in 2009. The deal is not yet complete, but will be soon and the Skins are also going to give Kendall what he wanted from day one from the Jets – a one million dollar pay raise from $1.7 mil per year up to $2.7 mil. “We were really comfortable with the trade and the value that we got in the trade,” Jets coach Eric Mangini said Thursday. “When this opportunity presented itself, we thought it was a good opportunity and, as always, we’re trying to make the best decisions to help the team win.”
The deal is a good one for the Skins, who will use Kendall on their line to replace Derrick Dockery, who left the team for the Bills this past offseason. The Skins had been trying to use Todd Wade at guard, but Wade, who is a career tackle, hurt his shoulder in the first preseason game, and was not doing well at camp anyway at his new position. Now the team gets themselves a Pro Bowl guard who they hope can open holes on the line for the teams running game led by a hopefully healthy Clinton Portis.
Kendall is expected to arrive at Redskins Park on Friday during the afternoon, and will not play with the team over the weekend, but will start practicing with his new team next week. The Jets had already started the process of moving on without Kendall, as he was playing behind two players that will take his spot, Adrien Clark and Jacob Bender. Both have been working at Kendall’s left guard spot. “Pete and I had a great conversation last night,” Mangini said. “I wished him well and he thanked me. We joked about having beverages on Cape Cod when I’m down there.”
