Santana Moss Fill The Same Role For Washington Redskins in 2013
By Mike Dyce
Jan 6, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) and Washington Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss (89) celebrate on the field after the first touchdown for the Redskins against Seattle Seahawks at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Redskins kept Santana Moss last year and he delivered. Despite playing only 43% of Washington’s offensive snaps he caught 41 passes for 573 yards and 8 touchdowns. That kind of production led Mike Shanahan to bring Moss back in 2013.
“I liked the way Santana played last year,” coach Mike Shanahan said, via the Washington Times. “He came in in excellent shape. I think he was a big part of our offense. There’s a big upside to Santana next year because he’s very familiar with our offense. He did a great job in our third-down package. I expect him to come in in the same type of shape and make the same plays he did last year.”
Moss will turn 34 this summer and as father time comes in he could lose a step and his production could go down. But Shanahan isn’t worried about his age.
“I don’t look at somebody’s age,” he said. “I look at what they did for us. I had Jerry Rice at the end of his career. I knew what Jerry did. I know what some older players do when it comes to offseason conditioning, how they handle themselves. I thought it was Santana’s best year out of the three years. He made a commitment to being in great shape and doing the little things you have to do to give your football team a chance to have some big plays.”
Had the Redskins cut Moss they would’ve saved $4.5 million, instead the restructured his deal with Moss taking a pay cut that saved the Redskins $2 million.