For the first time this offseason, the Washington Redskins made some roster moves on Friday morning that signifies the new regime is making themselves at home.
It was reported on Friday morning that the Redskins cut ties with both cornerback Josh Norman and wide receiver Paul Richardson Jr., both of which were expected to happen this offseason. Now, with the two veteran players on their way, what does that mean for the Redskins salary cap? And on top of that, should we expect any more moves to be made in the near future? Let’s break it down.
Heading into the 2020 offseason, the Redskins were projected to have just under $40 million available in cap space. With the release of Norman (due $15.5M in 2020) and Richardson Jr. (due $8.5M in 2020), the Redskins will be able to increase that total number by about $19 million, according to Over the Cap, giving them almost $60 million to work with this offseason.
While Norman and Richardson were the two most obvious cuts that the Redskins could make, there are a few more players on the docket who shouldn’t get comfortable. Another expected route to cap-relief is reaching a settlement with TE Jordan Reed, who has been unable to see the field much over the past few seasons due to injury. Reed missed the entire 2019 season due to a concussion he suffered in the preseason, and many have encouraged him to retire this offseason. If the Redskins are able to part ways with his contract, they will free up another $8.5 million.
Aside from Reed, there are a couple of players who know they could be released, but it’s probably unlikely to happen due to their standing with the team. I’m talking about Ryan Kerrigan and Adrian Peterson. Kerrigan is entering the final year on his contract, where he is due $11.5 million. It seems pretty obvious that the Redskins don’t want to pay an aging edge rusher that type of money going forward, especially if Chase Young is drafted in April, relegating Kerrigan to a situational role. Some people with knowledge of the situation have posited that the Redskins will choose to re-structure Kerrigan’s contract, which will extend his time in Washington while alleviating his cap-hit per year. Team owner Dan Snyder is said to be very close to Kerrigan, so it feels unlikely that they would cut him loose.
Another one is Ryan Kerrigan. If no FO changes, would stick around with an extension. People who know Snyder well predicted this: Will Extend him, but lower cap hit. If draft Young, would be in Chris Long type role… Kerrigan wants to stick around.
— John Keim (@john_keim) February 14, 2020
Peterson is in a similar position to Kerrigan — he may not have the time-tested loyalty in Washington, but the immense respect is certainly there. At age 34, AP has one year left on his contract with the Redskins, but they have a team option on the deal that they technically don’t have to pick up. Peterson has been an incredibly solid piece of the offense over the past two seasons as he’s stepped up in the wake of injuries to RB Derrius Guice. If the Redskins were to retain Peterson, it would only come as a $3 million hit to the cap.
Though the offseason technically started for the Redskins back in December of last year, it feels like today marked the official beginning of the 2020 NFL year in Washington. The new regime is cutting bait with old players and starting to build a roster of their own. Now things are going to get interesting.
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