The Washington Redskins acquired the No. 2 overall pick in April's NFL draft on Friday from the St. Louis Rams by sending first rounders in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and a second-round pick this year to the Rams, league sources told Fox Sports insider and NFL Network contributor Jay Glazer on Friday.
Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff on Saturday confirmed an agreement in principle for the trade. Both teams
issued a joint one-sentence statement without providing details of
a deal that likely will be completed Tuesday when the new league
year begins.
Four teams were deep in talks with the Rams for the pick, league sources told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora.
Of the four teams in negotiations with the Rams, the Cleveland Browns were the next closest in terms of what they were willing to offer, sources told La Canfora.
Washington submitted what turned out to be the winning bid Thursday, when it became clear that free-agent quarterback Peyton Manning was looking elsewhere, league sources told La Canfora.
La Canfora reported in late February that the Rams had every intention of trading the pick, with Heisman Trophy-winning Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III the presumed target for teams looking to trade into the spot.
The trade moves the Redskins up four places from sixth in the draft, leapfrogging any other team that would have an interest in Griffin. The Indianapolis Colts are expected to take Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick.
Mike Shanahan has already whiffed on three quarterbacks in his two seasons with the Redskins, going 11-21 under Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman and John Beck. He'll try to revive his reputation as a developer of quarterbacks with the electrifying Griffin.
The Rams were eager sellers given they already have a franchise quarterback in Sam Bradford, the No. 1 overall pick in 2010, and are needy at most other positions after going 10-38 the last three seasons. Rather than drag out intrigue, they maximized their haul by capitalizing on competition, and signed off on a deal more than six weeks ahead of the draft.
Sacrificing the picks reverses the plan Shanahan set in motion last year to stockpile young talent and rebuild a depleted roster. The Redskins, however, have plenty of space under the salary cap and can be aggressive in plugging holes when free agency begins Tuesday.
The Rams haven't made the playoffs since 2004 and are rebuilding under new coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead. They were 2-14 last year, tied with Indianapolis for the NFLs' worst record, and before the trade were set to pick either first or second for the fourth time in five years.
The Rams are committed to Bradford despite a drastic fall-off in production last season, one year after Bradford was NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2010. The offense was the league's puniest with or without Bradford, who threw just six touchdown passes and missed six games with a high left ankle sprain.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.