On the eve of free agency, the Washington Redskins re-signed kicker Dustin Hopkins, the team announced Monday.
Hopkins, 27, who has spent the past three seasons in Washington, has made 83.9 percent of his field goal attempts during his career and provided stability at kicker for the Redskins. Terms of the deal were not announced.
Hopkins was set to be a free agent, but re-signed before he could hit the market. The Redskins had until noon Monday before other teams could reach out to Hopkins.
In 2017, Hopkins missed eight games with a right hip injury. He was placed on injured reserve, though returned for the final three games of the season. To make room for Hopkins, the Redskins waived Nick Rose, who had converted 10 of his 11 field goal attempts.
Hopkins made 14 of his 17 field goal attempts last season and hit 39 of his 40 extra point attempts.
“You think only playing half the year would make it feel shorter, but it’s funny because this season felt longer than any other one I’ve been a part of,” he said in January. “It seemed like two separate seasons almost.”
Hopkins becomes the third player Washington re-signed before free agency, joining safety Deshazor Everett and linebacker Mason Foster. In January, the Redskins also extended Quinton Dunbar.
With Hopkins taken care of, the Redskins now have 17 unrestricted free agents.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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