Grant & Danny talked with former Washington Football Team fan favorite Ryan Kerrigan on Wednesday for the first time since the linebacker signed with the Eagles on Monday, and the guys couldn’t help but express their heartbreak that Kerrigan is joining a division rival.
But it’s not a bad dream for Washington fans: the franchise’s all-time sacks leader will be putting on a different uniform for the first time in his 10-year career.
“The ink is dry guys,” Kerrigan said. “I’m heading up I-95.”
Kerrigan’s one-year deal with Philadelphia prompted a spirited response from the Washington fanbase, which will now be forced to watch a former beloved pillar of the franchise line up on the opposing side twice this upcoming season. For those who reacted with anger, Kerrigan feels oddly complimented, believing it only means his time in Washington was that much more impactful.
“I think either way, in my opinion, it’s good,” Kerrigan said of the good and bad responses he’s received from Washington fans. “It means people cared. If nobody cared, I think that would be a little more hurtful. So even if someone is upset that I’m going to Philadelphia, that means they care and they liked watching me play for their football team for so many years. It’s ultimately kind of a compliment to me. At least that’s how I’m going to look at it. If nobody cared…that would be more cause for concern in my mind.”
Kerrigan, after earning four Pro Bowl trips in Washington, including three in a row from 2016 to 2018, saw his playing time decrease last season, starting just one game despite appearing in all 16 for the ninth time in his career, and while there were reports of a potential return to continue his career in the same place he was drafted in 2011, the 32-year-old made it clear to Grant & Danny that an 11th year in Washington was never on the table.
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“Coach Rivera and Mr. Snyder right at the start of free agency and let me know they weren’t gonna be trying to re-sign me, and they were going to go in a different direction,” Kerrigan said. “I know some of the headlines out there were that there could still be a return…but they called me at the start of free agency and let me know that wasn’t going to be an option.”
With his tenure in Washington being closed since that early offseason phone call, Kerrigan has been able to reflect on his decade in the only place he’s known as an NFL home. His pick six against Eli Manning and the Giants in his first NFL game stands out among his favorite memories. His forced fumble against the Cowboys in 2018 to seal a win also comes to mind. But it’s hard to pick just one after turning into one of the best first-round picks the franchise has ever had.
“When I got drafted, I didn’t know what to expect from myself going into the NFL,” Kerrigan said. “For things to work out the way they have, it’s unbelievable. I feel so incredibly lucky to have the productivity there…and to get drafted to a place I really loved living in.”
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But after a decade with Washington, it’s time to move on, no matter how heartbreaking it is for Grant & Danny and the rest of the fanbase that watched Kerrigan consistently take the field through an otherwise turbulent decade for the franchise.
“I pretty much grew up here,” Kerrigan said. “I was 22 when I got here, now I’m 32 and married and a father of two. A lot has changed in those 10 years…it’s been a hell of a ride.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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