Saints T Jammal Brown signs tender, then is traded to Redskins in swap of draft picks

Saints T Brown signs tender, shipped to Redskins

METAIRIE, La. — The New Orleans Saints traded two-time Pro Bowl tackle Jammal Brown to the Washington Redskins on Saturday in a complex deal involving draft picks.

In exchange for Brown, who missed last season with a hip injury and sports hernia, the Redskins will give the Saints a selection in either the third or fourth round of next year’s draft, depending on which of those two picks ends up being sent to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Donovan McNabb trade.

The Redskins will also receive a yet-to-be-determined pick from the Saints in the lower rounds of the 2011 draft. In addition, Washington will send a 2012 sixth-round pick to New Orleans if Brown meets certain incentives.

Brown, a restricted free agent, signed his $3.62 million tender offer before the trade. He had skipped the Saints’ voluntary workouts this offseason because he was unhappy with the tender, along with the fact that he might have to compete with Jermon Bushrod to regain his starting job.

Brown, 29, was the No. 13 overall selection in the 2005 draft from Oklahoma. The 6-foot-6, 313-pounder was selected to the Pro Bowl following the 2006 and 2008 seasons.

He started 58 games for the Saints in five seasons before the injuries sidelined him last year. Bushrod, nicknamed “Big Neck,” started 15 games in place of Brown during the 2009 regular season, when the Saints allowed only 20 sacks, fourth-fewest in the NFL.

The 6-foot-4, 325-pound Bushrod was a fourth-round choice in the 2007 draft from Towson. He did not play a regular-season snap on the offensive line during his first two seasons.

Brown could be the solution at right tackle for the Redskins, who are rebuilding the line under new coach Mike Shanahan after last year’s 4-12 season.

Washington took Trent Williams of Oklahoma with the No. 4 overall pick in April’s draft to replace retired six-time Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels. Artis Hicks has worked with the first-string unit at right tackle during the offseason, but he could move to right guard to make room for Brown.