The Washington Redskins had a lot of success this season thanks to the breakout year of several players. Kirk Cousins stamped his spot on the map as a starting quarterback. Jordan Reed emerged as a top tight end. DeSean Jackson found his rhythm. One player that lacked consistency throughout the season was Alfred Morris who is hoping to return to the Redskins with his contract expiring.
Morris did not have the contract year he was hoping for. After a breakout rookie season, the running back has been trending in the wrong direction and only managed 751 yards this year. He had just 50 yards in the loss to the Green Bay Packers. He was not the reliable running back the Redskins needed, but he is making it clear that he hopes to return to the team next season.
"When I first came into the league, no matter what team I went to, I just wanted to do my whole career with the same team," Morris said, via ESPN.com. "That's still my goal. I would love to return, but a lot goes into that. I haven't thought about that. You all keep bringing it up, but we'll see what happens."
According to John Keim of ESPN, it is unclear whether or not Morris is in the plans for Washington. Head coach Jay Gruden has been vocal about his love for the running back. However, Washington has a rookie in Matt Jones that put up similar numbers to Morris this season. He could very well take the place of the veteran. A lot of Morris' future with Washington will depend on his contract demands and the team's salary cap situation.
Morris will not be a priority right off the bat. That will go to Cousins who is also on an expiring contract. According to Keim, the feeling of a return is mutual between the quarterback and the franchise, but determining the worth of the deal will be the hard part. With just one season of success under his belt, the Redskins could struggle with the type of deal they give the quarterback. The Washington Post believes the likely outcome is a franchise tag, which puts the team at risk of losing him to someone like the Cleveland Browns who might not hesitate to give up two first-round draft picks.
"I want to be where I am wanted," said Cousins, via ESPN.com, "and you want to be with people who believe in you and we are going to find out -- because we haven't discussed it much yet -- how much I am wanted and where that'll go. It's a business and this team is going to operate with that mindset and this is my first time going through that process in the NFL, so it's new to me, don't know a whole lot about it."
One thing is clear, Robert Griffin III is not coming back which will free up salary cap space. That could factor in to contracts for other players as the Redskins have a lot of decisions to make coming up.
