Junior Galette has found a new home in the nation's capital.
The former Saints pass rusher, released less than a week ago by New Orleans, signed a one-year deal with the Washington Redskins on Friday, per the team. The contract comes one day after Galette took a physical and met with a host of Redskins officials.
NFL Media's Albert Breer reported that Galette signed for the veteran minimum, which is surprising considering his on-field production. It's not so surprising considering his toxic exit out of New Orleans. The deal also hands Washington something rare in NFL circles: right of first refusal for Galette's services in 2016, allowing them to match any deal he earns from another team.
Shed no tears for Galette's bank account. The locker-room headache squeezed the Saints for $18 million over the past 10 months.
From a talent standpoint alone, Galette immediately improves the Redskins defense, where he figures to start at outside linebacker across from Ryan Kerrigan. Washington is deep at the position with 2014 second-rounder Trent Murphy in the house along with Preston Smith. Neither of those players, though, can boast the 22 sacks Galette produced over the past two seasons.
His new contract proves once again that talent trumps all in the NFL. Galette thrived last season, ranking as the league's fourth-best 4-3 end behind Cameron Wake, Michael Bennett and Malik Jackson, per Pro Football Focus. His 45 quarterback hurries also ranked fourth at his position, but he left the Saints with the reputation as a massive disruption who dishonored his duties as team captain.
This an unbelievable quote for so many reasons. For starters, the most dysfunctional aspect of last year's Saints was overpaying Galette, who wound up being a full-fledged nightmare behind the scenes. As for the "functional" Redskins, they've shown remarkable consistency by finishing last in their division in six of the past seven seasons.
If you're Washington, though, why not take a shot? Only the Bears and Raiders gave up more points per game than the Redskins last season, while the team's 36 sacks ranked 21st in the NFL. They need all the help they can get, and new general manager Scot McCloughan -- someone who knows about second chances -- was willing to take a shot on a talented defender. Now it's Galette's turn to return the favor.
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