The Washington Redskins may not have a lot of proven talent on defense, but the team sure did make it a priority to lock up an important cog on that side of the ball.
The team announced on Wednesday that it has signed outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan to a contract extension.
#Redskins sign LB @RyanKerrigan91 to multi-year contract extension. #HTTR #BowlOfGravy
MORE | http://t.co/wwETkuhp7G pic.twitter.com/0doiBA7anF
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 29, 2015
While the Redskins didn’t give specifics regarding the deal, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that it’s worth $57.5 million over five seasons, making him the third highest-paid outside linebacker in the NFL.
#Redskins LB Ryan Kerrigan was set to make $7.03M this year. Now gets 5 more years at $57.5M. Third highest paid OLB behind Houston & Clay
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 29, 2015
This is another smart move by general manager Scot McCloughan, who has stepped in and made an immediate impact on the way Washington’s roster is shaped.
Kerrigan is one of the most dominant all-around 3-4 outside linebackers in the league. He is consistently one of the highest-graded players at his position, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which ranked him No. 5 in the league last year.
He’s racked up 22 sacks the past two years and had his finest season in 2014 with 13.5 quarterback take-downs. He, along with Trent Murpy and rookie phenom Preston Murphy, should provide outstanding pressure off the edge for Washington’s defense this upcoming season.
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