Redskins Sign Ex-Colts Defensive End Ricky Jean-Francois
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Washington Redskins have signed former Indianapolis Colts defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois to a 3-year, $9 million dollar contract:
Drew Rosenhaus has confirmed former Colts DT Ricky Jean Francois' 3-year, $9 million deal that includes $4 mil guaranteed with Redskins.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 26, 2015
It comes just a few short days after Jean-Francois was released by the Colts. While the Colts released Jean-Francois mainly because of cap reasons (saving the team nearly $5 million dollars in cap space for 2015), he was still a productive player for the team, just significantly overpaid. Still, Jean-Francois didn’t lack in potential suitors upon his release, as other teams such as the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks were also interested.
Earlier, we discussed some possible candidates to replace Jean-Francois along the Colts defensive line. While he wasn’t a great player by any means, he was still a valuable rotational piece and even occasional starter. With his release, the Colts now only have one proven starting caliber defensive end on their roster in Arthur Jones, with Cory Redding currently mulling retirement. It looks as though Jean-Francois did quite well for himself and landed quite nicely on his feet all things considered, especially given the new details of his contract per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport:
Ricky Jean-Francois just signed a 3-year deal with the Redskins, per @RosenhausSports. Worth $9M with $4M guaranteed. Total value is $11.25M
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 26, 2015
It’s probably more in-line with what Ricky Jean-Francois should actually make, compared to his would-be $6.125M cap hit with the Colts in 2015. Jean-Francois always seemed like a stand-up professional and a good teammate, so we wish him well with his new team and endeavors.
Still, as mentioned, the Colts have some work to do. Not only to replace Jean-Francois, but to upgrade their defensive line entirely for next season. Armed with ample cap space, it’s a situation well-worth monitoring as the offseason progresses.
Update (8:06 EST): Jean-Francois took to Twitter this evening to thank ColtsNation for the opportunity to play for the Colts, only reinforcing the idea that he’s a consummate professional: