The Redskins have declined the fifth-year option for linebacker Reuben Foster, reports Les Carpenter of The Washington Post.
The Redskins declined the fifth-year option for linebacker Reuben Foster a person with knowledge of the situation said.
— Les Carpenter (@Lescarpenter) April 30, 2020
That means Foster, 26, will become a free agent after the 2020 season, a decision that couldn't have been too difficult to make from a salary standpoint, as the option for 2021 would be guaranteed for injury.
Foster suffered a torn ACL, plus potential artery damage, on the first day of OTAs in the spring of 2019. It still remains to be seen, when he does return, whether he'll be the same player he was pre-injury. That's a chance the Redskins weren't willing to risk financially.
Foster's been through the ringer the past few years. A first-round pick in 2017, he showed promise in his rookie season with the 49ers and appeared on track to build off it in 2018 until everything went sideways.
Foster was arrested on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge in Nov. 2018, leading to his release from the 49ers the next morning. The Redskins claimed Foster off waivers a few days later, causing major blowback from NFL fans around the country. The charge was later dropped.
Foster spent the remainder of the 2018 season on the NFL's Commissioner's Exempt List while the league conducted its own investigation into his arrest. The league found that Foster did not, in fact, violate its Personal Conduct Policy, but fined him two game checks anyway.
Foster was at least free to begin team activities with his new team, which he did, before being lost for the season on day one.
Foster is slated to earn $1.69 million from the Redskins this year. 2021 would mark his fifth NFL season. Only first-round picks carry the fifth-year option on their contracts.
