HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) -The New York Jets reached an agreement in principle to trade disgruntled left guard Pete Kendall to the Washington Redskins.
Jets coach Eric Mangini said the agreement was made late Wednesday night, and the team expected the trade to be finalized sometime Thursday. Mangini would not disclose the particulars of the deal.
The Jets will get a fifth-round pick in 2008 or a fourth-rounder in 2009, according to a source within the NFL speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t yet been completed.
“We were really comfortable with the trade and the value that we got in the trade,” Mangini said Thursday morning. “When this opportunity presented itself, we thought it was a good opportunity and, as always, we’re trying to make the best decisions to help the team win.”
The deal ends Kendall’s tumultuous summer with the Jets after three solid seasons with the team.
“Pete and I had a great conversation last night,” Mangini said. “I wished him well and he thanked me. We joked about having beverages on Cape Cod when I’m down there.”
Kendall, in his 12th season, was lauded by Mangini last season for helping left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson and center Nick Mangold develop as rookies. But things soured in the offseason when Kendall asked for a $1 million raise on his $1.7 million salary. When that wasn’t granted, Kendall made repeated requests to be traded or released.
Rather than hold out, Kendall was at every practice during training camp because he didn’t want to pay the possible $14,000 in fines for every absence. His frustration was evident in his almost daily meetings with the media, and in his body language on the practice field – standing far from his teammates while the first-team offense practiced.
Kendall figures to be the starting left guard for the Redskins, something it didn’t appear he would be with the Jets this season. The 34-year-old Kendall worked mostly with the second-team offense as Adrien Clarke and sixth-round pick Jacob Bender – normally a tackle – have practiced at the position.
Kendall also worked as the backup center, a position he failed at two years ago when he was pushed into the role because of injures. Last weekend, he botched two snaps out of the shotgun.
The deal also solves a big question mark for the Redskins, who needed to replace left guard Derrick Dockery, who signed with Buffalo as an unrestricted free agent this spring.
Washington first tried Todd Wade – a tackle his entire career – at guard before he injured a shoulder in the first preseason game. Mike Pucillo, mostly a backup in his four NFL seasons, was recently working with the first-team offense.
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AP Sports Writer Joseph White in Washington contributed to this report.
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