I've been pondering this in the back of my mind for the last few weeks, but EHTR's FanPost inspired me to post about this. The Dunta Robinson contract issue is quickly approaching total fiasco status. A brief recap on what's gone down since Dunta received the franchise tag (worth nearly $10,000,000.00 in guaranteed money) from your Houston Texans:
1. Dunta claims he's been betrayed.
2. Rick Smith claims Dunta and/or his agent apparently misunderstood the team's stance on using the franchise tag on him.
3. Dunta swears he won't report unless the team promises not to tag him next year.
4. John McClain reports that Dunta turned down a multi-year deal that would have guaranteed him $23,000,000.00 prior to getting tagged.
No matter whether you believe some or all of the above is merely propaganda issued by the organization or Dunta's camp, it seems pretty clear that we're rapidly coming to a point where a separation could feasibly benefit both parties (if we're not already there). Personally, I think the Texans went above and beyond offering $23 mil in guaranteed money to a player who's only about a year and a half removed from a horrific injury. You know, assuming the Texans actually did offer that kind of money. Which, although never confirmed by either party to the negotiation, has oddly never been refuted by Dunta or his agent, which in turn strikes me as strange, considering Dunta's willingness to air the negotiating process in the media. But that's not really the point of this entry, especially because the Texans can franchise Dunta until the cows come home if they choose to do so.
The point, BRB, is simply this: Assuming there was a team out there who wanted Dunta Robinson in its employ, what would be fair market value for Dunta in trade? For the sake of this exercise, let's operate under the assumption that Dunta agreed to sign his franchise tender and was locked up for '09. A potential trade partner would almost surely want to ink him to a more cap friendly, multi-year deal; let's pretend there's a team out there willing to satisfy Dunta's demands, and the only stumbling block is what the Texans received for parting with their (presumably) starting CB. What would be fair compensation? Opine via the poll and Comments below.
Me? At this point, I'd be ecstatic with a second-rounder, and I'd probably even agree to a third-rounder and a lesser pick in the 2011 draft.