Being that Donovan McNabb no longer is a part of the Washington Redskins' game plans, he has his own game plan in place for after this season, according to one person close to the quarterback.
After the season, McNabb is planning to meet with the Redskins and ask them for his release. McNabb wants to be in a position where he can pick the place to finish his career, not have it dictated to him as was the case last season when Philadelphia traded him to Washington.
McNabb, who was benched in place of Rex Grossman for last week's game against Dallas, will be the No. 3 quarterback for the final two games of the season.
It's highly unlikely the Redskins initially would release McNabb, not when they believe he still has some trade value. Washington would want to recoup as much as possible for the player whom they surrendered second- and fourth-round picks.
What will test McNabb's trade value is the $10 million option bonus in his contract that another team might have to pay. Yet there are any number of teams -- Minnesota, Seattle, San Francisco, Carolina, Tennessee and Miami -- with significant quarterback questions looming for 2011.
McNabb was benched only once in 11 years with Philadelphia, and he's already doubled that total with the Redskins since being acquired by the team in April. Shanahan yanked McNabb for Grossman in the final two minutes against Detroit in October with the game on the line, then offered several different reasons for the decision.
Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said he felt Grossman had a better grasp of the team's two-minute offense, then said McNabb lacked the "cardiovascular endurance" to run a fast-paced drill because of nagging hamstring injuries. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said McNabb had been tipped off in advance that the team might go with Grossman; McNabb said he hadn't.
Then the Redskins gave McNabb a five-year contract extension worth up to $78 million -- though the quarterback is guaranteed to receive only an extra $3.5 million this season. The deal contains a clause that allows the Redskins to cut McNabb before next season with no further financial obligation.
But with McNabb intending to ask the Redskins for his release, and with Washington in the market to trade him, one result seems unavoidable: McNabb will not be a Redskin in 2011.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
