The Washington Redskins announced a multi-year contract extension for outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan as the team kicked off training camp Wednesday.
"To get to a moment like this where you get a chance to play out the rest of your NFL career with the team that drafted you, the team that you love, the city that you love, it hasn't really hit me yet, but it's an awesome feeling," Kerrigan said, via the team's website. "Now it's my job to go reward the Redskins for the faith they put in me by playing well this year, and for the rest of my career."
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports Kerrigan received a five-year extension that pays him $11.5 million per year, $57.5 million total, with a $16 million signing bonus, per a source informed of the negotiations.
Kerrigan was set to make $7.03 million in the final year of his deal. He will now be the third-highest paid outside linebacker in the NFL, behind Justin Houston and Clay Matthews.
The sides began working on a contract extension in May to lock down the team's most dynamic pass rusher and the leader in the linebackers room.
Kerrigan, 26, compiled a career high 13.5 sacks in 2014 and trailed only Houston in quarterback hurries (51) among 3-4 outside linebackers, per Pro Football Focus.
Extending Kerrigan was a priority for new general manager Scot McCloughan, who has spent his first year on the job attempting to bolster the Redskins' toughness in the trenches, on both sides of the football.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast discusses Tom Brady's four-game suspension and Eric Berry's comeback.
