And we thought the biggest Washington-Philadelphia sports story on Monday was going to be President Obama throwing out the first pitch of the Nats' home opener against the Phillies.
Not so fast my friends.
The Redskins and Eagles trumped that by pulling off a blockbuster deal that saw the Eagles' heart and soul (and starting QB), Donovan McNabb, turn in one NFC East jersey for another.
That deserves a "Wow."
The Eagles sent McNabb to the rival Redskins for a second-round pick in this month's draft (No. 37 overall) and a third- or fourth-rounder in next year's draft, according to ESPN.com.
"I'm really excited about my future with the Washington Redskins," McNabb told NBCPhiladelphia Sports' John Clark. "I am eager to work with Mike Shanahan. He's been a very successful coach, with a couple Super Bowl victories on his resume. While it has been my goal to win a Super Bowl in Philadelphia, we came up short. I enjoyed my 11 years and know that we shared a lot more good times than bad."
“This was a very tough decision,” said Eagles head coach Andy Reid, who parted with the first player he ever drafted when he picked McNabb No. 2 in the 1999 NFL Draft.
"I will always wish Donovan the best of luck with the exception of two weeks during the year," Reid said at a Sunday night press conference.
McNabb finishes as the Eagles’ all-time leader in passing yards, touchdown passes, pass attempts and completions.
This obviously changes everything for both teams. For the Eagles, it means the Kevin Kolb era beings. For the Redskins, it means the end of the Jason Campbell era, but how long will McNabb lead the franchise? The Redskins have been itching to take a quarterback in the first round of the draft this year, despite the obvious need for an offensive lineman.
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This trade provides two directions the team can go. They can either put all their faith in McNabb and draft a big o-lineman to protect him, or they can take a QB (Sam Bradford? Jimmy Clausen?) and let McNabb help groom him for several years.
If you're McNabb, you're hoping for the first option. He already groomed one QB in Kolb, and it's doubtful he'd be willing to do that again. He will start this coming season in Washington (he's better than Jason Campbell and Rex Grossman combined), but for how long after that? He's in the last year of his current contract and it is not known if an extension is planned with his new team.
"Donovan is an accomplished quarterback who has been a proven winner in the National Football League,” Redskins executive vice president/head coach Mike Shanahan was quoted on Redskins.com. “I have long admired his competitiveness and feel he will be an outstanding addition to the Redskins and our community. He knows our division and the roadmap to success in the NFC East. He will set a high standard of excellence and we are very excited to welcome Donovan to the Washington Redskins."
McNabb is clearly an elite QB in the NFL. But he's been slowed by injuries the past couple of seasons, and he's played just one full season since 2003. He's also 33 years old with 11 years of hard hits under his belt.
However, he also believes he has a lot left in the tank, just like a guy named Favre. He threw 22 touchdowns last season to just 10 interceptions.
And if the Redskins traded for him, they have to believe he's still got that McNabb magic that turned Philadelphia into a perennial powerhouse. Either that, or they once again sent much-needed draft picks away for yet another quick fix.
The Redskins, usually a team hell-bent on making a big splash in the free agent pool each year, chose a different route this off-season, but the results have been the same. The trade for McNabb was just the latest move to acquire a big-name star. The others include the likes of Larry Johnson and Willie Parker. While they didn't spend $100 million for each, they still made waves.
But, once again, all will depend on how these big-name players come together to win games. And McNabb may be the key to making all those pieces fit.
