ASHBURN — Ryan Kerrigan said at his retirement press conference that he wanted to explore getting into coaching. The Washington Commanders are now giving their all-time sacks leader a taste of the grind.
Coach Ron Rivera said Monday that Kerrigan will be around the Commanders for the next few weeks so the former pass-rusher can truly gauge whether the profession is right for him. The 33-year-old is not on Washington’s staff in any official capacity, but the team is allowing Kerrigan to be around in an advisory role.
“I told him one of the things that I did when I first retired, it took me about a year and a half before I decided I really wanted to get into coaching,” Rivera said. “This is something that you jump straight from retirement into coaching. So, he wanted to get a feel for it. We’re gonna give him a couple of weeks and then we’ll reassess and reevaluate and see where he is.”
Kerrigan announced his retirement Friday, signing a ceremonial one-day contract to retire with the club. The former 2011 first-rounder spent 10 of his 11 seasons with Washington, recording 95½ sacks.
Rivera said Kerrigan will be working primarily with the defensive ends. In 2020, Kerrigan served as a mentor to pass-rusher Chase Young — who credited Kerrigan for showing him the importance of taking care of his body. Kerrigan appeared in 139 consecutive games to start his career.
“I just love football too much to not be involved,” Kerrigan said Saturday.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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