The NFL Draft and the first wave of free agency are over, but there are still plenty of good players left on the market. Veteran edge defender Ryan Kerrigan is one of those players, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be returning to his longtime team. According to the latest rumors originating from his Instagram account, Ryan Kerrigan will not be playing football for the Washington Football Team in 2021. In other news, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy re-affirmed that Andy Dalton is the starter, even with Justin Fields now in town.
NFL Rumors: Ryan Kerrigan, Andy Dalton, Justin Fields
Rumors: Ryan Kerrigan Says Goodbye to Washington Football Team
After not hearing much from the longtime veteran, Kerrigan took to Instagram to write a lengthy goodbye to his former team. Saying that he’ll “never be able to sum up what these past 10 years meant”, Kerrigan made it very clear that he won’t be coming back to Washington, but will cherish the memories of his time there.
While Kerrigan did say he won’t be playing with Washington, he didn’t say what will come next in his NFL career. The four-time Pro Bowl selection is currently entering his age-33 season, so there is a chance he hangs up the cleats and calls it a career. However, he was still playing solid football last year, albeit he wasn’t quite the great player he once was. If he wants to continue his NFL career at a discounted price, he should be able to find a team or two interested in securing his services.
Kerrigan first entered the NFL as a first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Selected by the Washington Redskins, Kerrigan immediately became one of the foundational pieces along that defensive line. Making 16 starts as a rookie, the edge defender finished his first season with 7.5 sacks, 14 quarterback hits, nine tackles-for-loss, and one interception. That was a sign of things to come, as Kerrigan currently has 95.5 sacks throughout his 10-year career.
From Ryan Kerrigan on Instagram:https://t.co/d3QrzoIaVW pic.twitter.com/PpxUquLuD5
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) May 17, 2021
Matt Nagy: Andy Dalton to Start, Justin Fields the Backup
The Chicago Bears moved heaven and Earth to select Justin Fields in the 2021 NFL Draft, but they’re not going to rush him onto the field. According to head coach Matt Nagy, longtime NFL veteran Andy Dalton will remain the starting quarterback, despite a strong performance by the rookie in minicamp.
“Andy is the starter…Andy’s going to get the one reps” Nagy said, referring to the first-team practices in minicamp. This makes sense, as Dalton is in his first season with the Bears and could use all the reps possible to acclimate himself with the new environment.
Prior to joining the Bears, Dalton spent the majority of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals prior to backing up Dak Prescott in 2020. Of course, Prescott suffered a gruesome ankle injury, forcing Dalton into the spotlight for the majority of the season. In his 11 games on the field, Dalton completed 64.9% of his passes for 2,170 yards, 14 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while working with Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michel Gallup. While he is certainly nothing extraordinary, he is more than capable of keeping a team afloat until Justin Fields is ready to take over.
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