HEADLINES

Ryan Kerrigan

East Notes: Kerrigan, Bills, Dolphins, Cowboys

July 9th, 2014 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Redskins exercised their fifth-year option on outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan this offseason, ensuring that he remains under contract with the club through the 2015 season. As he tells Ben Breiner of the Muncie Star Press, Kerrigan is cautiously optimistic about an even longer stay in Washington: “I’m going to be a part of [the team] for at least an additional year and hopefully after that, even longer.”

The Redskins also have Brian Orakpo playing under the franchise tag in 2014, and selected Trent Murphy with the No. 47 pick in the ’14 draft, so it remains to be seen whether the club plans on keeping all three OLBs for the long term, or whether one will move on in the next year or two.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • Jerry Zremski of the Buffalo News surveyed a handful of local developers on where the Bills‘ next stadium should be built, assuming the team remains in Western New York. As Zremski writes, he wasn’t surprised when his investigation produced “plenty of ideas and little consensus.”
  • It was just two years ago that Cortland Finnegan inked a five-year, $50MM deal with the Rams, but after being released this offseason, he’s on a much more modest two-year contract with the Dolphins. According to James Walker of ESPN.com, early reports from the Miami coaching staff suggest the veteran cornerback could be in line for a bounceback performance in 2014.
  • Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon, who racked up 11.5 sacks last season, has left Rosenhaus Sports and is said to be meeting with other agents, tweets Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal.
  • Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News takes a look at the Cowboys’ left defensive end spot, where Anthony Spencer was re-signed by the team but isn’t being relied upon nearly as heavily as he has been in the past.

Redskins Exercise Option On Ryan Kerrigan

May 2nd, 2014 at 9:22am CST by Luke Adams

The Redskins have exercised their fifth-year option on outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, according to Will Brinson of CBS Sports (via Twitter). Brinson’s CBS colleague Jason La Canfora first reported yesterday that the club was expected to pick up Kerrigan’s option.

Kerrigan, 25, earned a spot in the Pro Bowl in 2012, racking up a career-high 8.5 sacks to go along with a couple of forced fumbles and an interception. He matched that sack total in 2013, though Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) graded him as just the 24th-best 3-4 outside linebacker last season, as opposed to the seventh-best in ’12. Still, for a Redskins defense that has a few question marks, Kerrigan and fellow outside linebacker Brian Orakpo provide some stability, as well as an ability to pressure the quarterback.

As the 16th overall pick in 2011, Kerrigan is eligible for a $7.038MM salary in 2015. By exercising that option, the Redskins ensure that the former first-rounder remains under contract through ’15, though that salary is guaranteed for injury only until the start of the next league year.

Today is the last day for teams to exercise fifth-year options on 2011 first-rounders, and Kerrigan’s had been one of the last decisions that required resolution. As our tracker shows, there are still a handful of decisions to be reported, though only three could realistically go either way: Aldon Smith (49ers), Christian Ponder (Vikings), and Phil Taylor (Browns).

Ryan Kerrigan, Aldon Smith Options Likely To Be Exercised

May 1st, 2014 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The Redskins are expected to pick up their fifth-year option on outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, league sources tell Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Washington GM Bruce Allen made comments earlier this week that I thought strongly hinted the club would be formally exercising that option in advance of Saturday’s deadline, so the report doesn’t come as a huge surprise.

More interestingly, La Canfora writes in the same piece that several league sources believe the 49ers will ultimately decide to exercise their 2015 option on linebacker Aldon Smith. Multiple reports in April suggested the club was leaning against picking up Smith’s fifth-year option due to off-field incidents, but as I wrote yesterday when examining the outstanding options, the decision is perhaps the trickiest of the bunch, since Smith has contributed so much for San Francisco on the field. For what it’s worth, Can Inman of the Bay Area News Group also hears from a front office executive that he expects the Niners to pick up the option (Twitter link).

May 3 represents the deadline for teams to make their decisions on whether or not to exercise fifth-year option on 2011’s first-round picks. Bill Williamson of ESPN.com tweeted earlier today that those decisions must be formally made by the time the calendar turns from Friday to Saturday in the Eastern time zone tomorrow night, so we can expect resolution soon on Kerrigan, Smith, and the rest of the players whose options haven’t been picked up yet.

You can keep tabs on all of those decisions using our fifth-year option tracker, which shows that Kerrigan’s 2015 option is worth $7.038MM, while Smith’s is worth $9.754MM.

NFC East Notes: Jackson, Orakpo, Kerrigan

April 28th, 2014 at 2:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Head coach Chip Kelly finally discussed the Eagles‘ decision to release DeSean Jackson, and he had an oft-repeated refrain today when asked about the move. Repeatedly asked about Jackson, Kelly stated several times that the move was “purely a football decision” (Twitter link). Here’s more from Kelly, as well as a few notes on a pair of the Eagles’ division rivals:

  • According to Kelly, the Eagles simply decided to go in “a different direction” at the wide receiver position and didn’t find any trade takers (Twitter link). Kelly added that the team came back from the owner meetings without any trade offers for the receiver, and simply decided to release him (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). It may be hard to believe there were no offers on the table for such an explosive playmaker, but Jackson’s previous contract wasn’t exactly cap-friendly.
  • Although Brian Orakpo may play the 2014 season under the franchise tag, he’s still hoping for a long-term deal with the Redskins. However, he indicated today that he won’t let his contract situation affect his participation in offseason workouts and camp: “I’m not going to be in a situation where I’m holding out and all the distractions that come with it,” Orakpo said, according to Zac Boyer of the Washington Times (Twitter link).
  • The Redskins‘ other outside linebacker, Ryan Kerrigan, is hoping the club decides to exercise his fifth-year option, as Boyer tweets. According to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, GM Bruce Allen said today that the club will “have an announcement soon” on Kerrigan, which sounds to me like a signal that the team will be picking up that option.
  • Asked about Dallas’ potential interest in Johnny Manziel, Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones was noncommittal, telling 105.3 The Fan that the team hasn’t finalized the quarterbacks on its draft board yet (link via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News).