Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the interactions between Ryan Kerrigan and Ron Rivera have been limited to phone calls, texts and video meetings. The two have yet to meet in person.
Despite that, the 31-year-old defensive end said the team knows where he stands entering the last year of his contract: He wants to remain with the Redskins.
“I hope to be here for the duration of my football career, however long that is,” Kerrigan said Thursday. “Hopefully, I’m here for the long haul. I want to be here.”
Kerrigan’s long-term future with Washington has become a question as the franchise spent its last two first-round picks on pass rushers. The presence of Chase Young, the second overall in 2020, and Montez Sweat, the 26th overall pick in 2019, make it unclear if the Redskins are willing to commit to Kerrigan beyond this year.
So far, the Redskins have taken a wait-and-see approach under Rivera when it comes to extensions. The team balked at giving new deals to left tackle Trent Williams and cornerback Quinton Dunabr, trading them instead. “Not knowing players, not knowing how they fit or how they’re going to fit into your system —that’s kind of a tough thing to restructure somebody’s contract and give them a new deal,” Rivera said in April.
Kerrigan, set to make $11.5 million, is coming off the least productive season of his career. The four-time Pro Bowler had just 5½ sacks and saw his iron man streak of 139 straight games end due to a concussion. He also missed the last three games with a calf injury.
Kerrigan said he gets why the Redskins drafted Young, a player many experts rated as the most talented prospect in the entire class.
“When you’re not having the success you want to as a team, fans and people look for new reasons to get excited,” Kerrigan said. “Fans should be excited about guys like Chase. (Heck), if I had the No. 2 overall pick, I would have done the same thing. There’s reason for that.
But Kerrigan is confident he can still contribute. “I know what I can do,” he said.
Kerrigan did not say if he’ll approach the Redskins about a contract extension.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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