For many lifelong Washington fans, the idea of Ryan Kerrigan lining up to sack their own quarterback was never a thought they'd have to rationalize. At least not until Monday, when Kerrigan, after 10 years fighting for the Burgundy & Gold, surprisingly signed with the rival Eagles.
There's perhaps no better voice in Washington to lend wisdom to such a unique situation than Brian Mitchell.
When Mitchell was released by Washington following the 1999 season — like Kerrigan, also his 10th with the team — he chose to sign with the Eagles in free agency and would spend the next three years torching his former team on punt and kickoff returns.
Now 21 years later, Mitchell makes no bones about his intentions at the time, saying, bluntly, "I wanted to see their asses twice a year."
"There comes a point in time where all of this stuff comes to an end," Mitchell said Monday on 106.7 The Fan's 'BMitch & Finlay,' mere moments after the news broke.
"And I think when you feel you have something in you, you want to go to a place..." he continued. "I don't know if Ryan Kerrigan thinks like Brian Mitchell, but I went to Philly because I wanted to see their asses twice a year. I'm being totally honest. It was that spiteful. And it may be the same for him. But then again, the people that play you twice a year for double-digit years, they know you better than the other teams. You see what I'm saying? So I'm not surprised that Philly would call Ryan."
"He has killed Philly in his career," Finlay noted.
To say Eagles fans were relieved to realize they no longer have to watch Kerrigan terrorize their quarterbacks would be an understatement. In 19 career games against Philly, Kerrigan was, simply put, an Eagles killer, lining up 63 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 24 QB pressures and 15 tackles for loss with six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and even an interception returned for a touchdown.
Kerrigan, who will be 33 at the start of the 2021 season, is no spring chicken. But his falling out of a starting role in Washington wasn't exactly due to declining performance, either. The fact of the matter is he was an aging veteran on a defensive front loaded with young talent. The odd man out.
"You look at them with their NASCAR package [the colloquial name for Philly's pass-rushing unit] and all the different things that they do," Mitchell said. "Can you imagine seeing Ryan Kerrigan on the field on the outside? Then later on: Oh Lord! It's third-down-and-long. He's inside! He's playing a damn DT!"
"So they have a lot of possibilities with that," he said. "So I'm not surprised, and I know people will probably be upset. But hey, there comes a time when new coaches come in, they want to do their thing. Hell, I see and hear all kinds of stuff.
"They're changing up secretaries, changing jobs, which is weird as hell to me. They did that when Dan [Snyder] first bought the team. How'd that work for him? But ultimately, it comes down to the point where: Does he still think he can play? Yes. They didn't feel he could play up to the level that they wanted him to play."
"Is he better than Montez [Sweat] and Chase [Young] at this moment? I would say probably not," Mitchell said. "But then again, you cannot pay that amount of money for a guy to be on the bench being a backup."
As for whether Kerrigan will be embraced by Philly's at times prickly fanbase, Mitchell thinks he's got exactly the right makeup to fit in.
"They'll love him," he said. "The thing about Ryan, he's not that crazy-like dude, but he's a worker and that's what they'll love about him. Because the thing about Philly, don't go there with no praise and don't do a damn thing. They'll let you know about yourself. And if you are one of those boisterous, outlandish people and you get there and you're not doing well, oh yeah, they will definitely come at you. But he's quiet and he works. He pins his ears back and he goes to work. That's what they want to see."
Listen to BMitch around the 1-minute mark below.
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