Ryan Kerrigan Says Goodbye to Washington Football; What's Next For All-Time Sack Leader?
ASHBURN, Va. -- It looks like the end is officially here, as expected, for Ryan Kerrigan in a Washington uniform.
Kerrigan put together the really cool montage of poses and action shots along with a picture of him and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
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As expected, it doesn't look or feel like he's retiring. Instead this is likely the first step in announcing a new team and stop in his career.
"I hope you had as much fun watching me as I did playing for you. Thank you, Washington, for everything,'' he said.
Kerrigan was a fan favorite, but ...
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Washington didn't win enough while he was here. And his personality, off the field, was low-key.
After a sack, though, he was anything but that. The show-stopper celebration modeled after WWE's Shawn Michaels was always a trip.
His pick-six interception of Eli Manning in his NFL debut was incredible.
If Chase Young had not fallen into the WFT's laps last year, maybe Kerrigan would have signed an extension to stay.
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It was clear that Kerrigan going into 2020 was being phased out under this staff and in his new role as a rotational edge rusher.
Kerrigan finishes his Washington career with 95.5 sacks, the most in franchise history, over 156 games.
He had 5.5 in 2020 on 397 snaps. He had the same number of sacks in 2019 on 642 snaps. The production went up but his role lessened.
His last sack was on November 22 against the Bengals, which means his last six regular-season games he came up empty and didn't have any QB hits, either. There was nothing in the playoff loss, either.
Still, Kerrigan, 32, was the ultimate professional in his career despite the somewhat messy end here with a reported trade request and then an awkward denial.
Kerrigan did most everything the right way and was a terrific draft pick. It's a shame Washington couldn't figure out how to run the organization around him.
What's next?
He did visit the Cincinnati Bengals about a month or so ago. That's a possibility. Tennessee still needs pass rush help and Jim Haslett is their linebackers coach, and he was the defensive coordinator here when Kerrigan was drafted.
Indianapolis might still be a possibility. Kerrigan grew up about an hour from Lucas Oil Stadium and Brian Baker, a former WFT assistant, is there as the defensive line coach.
Green Bay could also use some help and Joe Barry, also a former defensive coordinator here in Washington, is in charge of the Packers defense.
Sean McVay and the Rams? Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers? There might be some options. For now, WFT fans wait and remember how good Kerrigan was in burgundy and gold.
