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LaVar Arrington agreed to give up more than $4 million in his contract rather than restructure it to stay with the Redskins
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Washington Redskins parted ways Sunday night with three-time Pro Bowl linebacker LaVar Arrington, who agreed to a contract buyout so that he could become a free agent, The Associated Press has learned.
Arrington agreed to give up more than $4 million in his contract rather than restructure it in a way that would allow him to remain with the Redskins, an official with knowledge of the transaction told the AP on condition of anonymity.
Over the last few days, the Redskins have asked several veterans to restructure their contracts so that the team could get under the salary cap. The team will need to slash some $20 million of cap money if there is no new collective bargaining agreement before the start of free agency.
The start of free agency has been postponed twice while the NFL and the players' union negotiate a possible new CBA. It is now scheduled to start Thursday at 12:01 a.m.
The official told the AP that Arrington was the only Redskins player who refused to rework his deal. Arrington was disgruntled over playing time last season and no longer wished to play for the team.
Yet the Redskins couldn't cut Arrington outright because it would have cost the team under the league's complex salary cap rules. He was due to count some $12 million against the cap in 2006, including a $6.5 million roster bonus.
So Arrington essentially agreed to give money back -- and forfeit the upcoming roster bonus -- so that the Redskins could get some needed cap relief while allowing him to find another team through free agency.
In a brief statement, the Redskins confirmed Arrington was to become a free agent but gave no details other than that his departure will provide "much-needed salary cap relief." The team said coach Joe Gibbs would address the matter at a news conference Monday.
Arrington's departure marks a sour end in Washington for the franchise's most popular player of recent years. Arrington was the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2000 and played in three straight Pro Bowls from 2001-03. He signed an eight-year $68 million contract extension near the end of the 2003 season. He moved his family to the area and vowed to remain with the Redskins throughout his career.
But Arrington hurt his knee early in the 2004 season and played in only four games. In April 2005, after his second knee surgery, he criticized team officials for the way his injury was handled. He was also in a dispute with owner Dan Snyder over a $6.5 million bonus he claims was missing from the final version of his contract.
The contract dispute was eventually settled, but Arrington then found himself unable to get on the field. He was a marginal player in the first six games of the season last year and didn't play at all in a loss at Denver. Coaches said Arrington was still recovering from his knee injury, but there was also the sense that Arrington, a creative player known to make big plays by freelancing on the field, wasn't a good fit in assistant coach Gregg Williams' disciplined defensive schemes.
Arrington eventually regained his starting job at midseason but was not the impact player he had been in years past. He finished the season without a sack, and his only interception came in the playoff victory at Tampa Bay.
