Do you remember that scene in Draft Day when Brian Drew, Cleveland Browns’ quarterback, was upset with the general manager of the team (Kevin Costner) because he was expected to draft college-standout QB Bo Callahan (a stand-in for Johnny Manziel) early in the draft, virtually ending Drew’s reign as the starter?
Didn’t see it? You should, it’s fun.
Anyway, that’s probably how Washington Redskins edge rusher Ryan Kerrigan is starting to feel, don’t you think?
He once was a golden boy in Washington, but he could very well be seeing his time with the Redskins come to an end. Though he still is a fan-favorite for many, a down year in 2019 has left him with one year left on his contract and an inkling of doubt that he can be what he once was in D.C. On top of that, Washington has the No. 2 pick in the draft, and they’re expected to take a young and dynamic edge rusher out of Ohio State, giving them two first-rounders capable of getting the job done when you consider they drafted Montez Sweat in 2019.
So where does that leave Kerrigan? Like we mentioned earlier, he has one year left on his contract, where he is due $11.5 million in 2020, and he’s 1.5 sacks away from breaking the Redskins all-time career sack record. But will he get the chance to do it in Washington? Kerrigan hopes so.
“Certainly, I want to be here,” Kerrigan said when cleaning out his locker after the season, via Redskins.com. “This is my home now. I’ve been here for nine years. I’ve been through some good seasons, I’ve been through some bad ones. I want to be here through the good and the bad. I love Washington, D.C. I love the Redskins. I want to be here.”
For Kerrigan, his first hope needs to be that the new coaching staff in Washington wants to keep him around for one last year and give him the chance to earn his next contract. Of course, it’s would be easy for the team to trade him away, considering his value is at its highest right now with a year left before he’s free to leave. There’s also the very, very slight chance that the Redskins don’t end up drafting Chase Young, but that seems too risky to bank on.
Whatever happens, it will need to play out over the next couple of months. In Draft Day, Kevin Costner went with his gut and decided not to draft the obvious player. If life were a movie, we’d definitely get a chance to see Kerrigan’s career continue in Washington.
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