ASHBURN — On the upper right side of Chris Baker’s locker is a picture of his wife holding their daughter. Aria will turn one this week, but she already had her Mickey Mouse Club-style party last week because the Bakers were unsure what kind of scheduling her birthday week would present. Dad could have been flying to a number of places on the first weekend after the NFL’s regular season ended. Instead, he’ll be home, watching Aria continue to work on her balance.
Talking about Aria was one of the few happy moments inside the Redskins locker room Monday at Redskins Park. By 9 a.m., just 12 hours or so after the season ended with gut-punch power, players were cleaning out their lockers. Many were in the same situation as Baker, who will become an unrestricted free agent March 7 at noon. The Redskins have 21 expiring contracts to deal with in the offseason. They may also have changes on the coaching staff.
“When you finish a season in the National Football League, you’re probably dreaming if you think you’re going to have the same exact roster back as you had a year ago,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. “We’re going to have a draft with new players, we’re going to have free agents, we’re going to lose some of our free agents. It’s our job to make sure we target the ones that we definitely want back that really have an impact on this football team, not only from a talent standpoint, but from a leadership standpoint. Both those areas are very important to me.”
Heading the list of free agents are quarterback Kirk Cousins and wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. They are intertwined in scheme and finances.
Cousins played last season under the franchise tag. Washington could use either version of the franchise tag — exclusive rights or non-exclusive — on him again. The “exclusive rights” tag means Cousins cannot negotiate with other teams and will earn no less than the average of the top five salaries at the quarterback position as April of the current year in which the tag will apply, or 120 percent of the player’s previous year’s salary, whichever is greater. The non-exclusive tag means Cousins can talk to other teams, and the Redskins could match any offer sheet he may sign. If they chose not to, they could receive two first-round draft picks as compensation.
Jackson and Garcon will be unrestricted free agents. Jackson did not talk with reporters following the season-ending loss Sunday. He, like several players, also was not in the locker room during the 3 ½ hours it was open to the media on Monday. Garcon said Sunday that January-March is a different season.
“Now, it’s not the Xs and Os,” Garcon said. “It’s the business side, which I have no control over.”
Baker will finally have a say in his future. He first learned about the business of the NFL when he went undrafted in 2009. He was released twice before latching on to the Redskins’ practice squad. He eventually moved onto the field, then became a starter. This season, he was team’s most disruptive lineman. Being a free agent could provide Baker a multi-year deal after several years on the edge of the NFL.
“Hopefully everything will work out and I can stay here,” Baker said. “Just don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ll see what happens in this free agency period.”
The lamentable end to the season will also influence the future of two coaches, for different reasons.
Defensive coordinator Joe Barry was in charge of a group that finished 28th in total defense. When Barry was hired in 2015, he came to Washington at Gruden’s behest and with a spotty record as a defensive coordinator. During his two seasons as defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions from 2007-08, Barry’s units finished last in total defense each season.
“I was the main reason we brought him in here and, you know, so ultimately I would think it is my call – our call,” Gruden said of retaining Barry. “Bruce [Allen] will have some input, Dan [Snyder] will have some input, Scot [McCloughan] will have some input, but from a staff standpoint, I like to think I have a lot of pull on that one.”
The flipside of Barry’s situation is what offensive coordinator Sean McVay has in front of him. McVay will reportedly interview for multiple coach openings, including the one in Los Angeles. McVay is just 30 years old. Yet, multiple players and members of the Redskins’ staff have suggested he would soon be a coach in the league. The 2016 season was his third as Washington’s offensive coordinator. In the last two seasons, Cousins has set Redskins passing yardage records. He nearly threw for 5,000 years this season.
“He’s done a great job and deserves an opportunity to interview and see what happens,” Gruden said.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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