According to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, the Redskins are actively talking to Zach Brown about a possible contract extension. That is the news Redskins fans have been waiting for.
Lost amid all of the speculation about Kirk Cousins future (I expect a tag), the Skins are working to extend LB Zach Brown I’m told
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 3, 2017
In the offseason, the Redskins signed Brown to a one-year deal that was worth up to $4.65 million this season. It came with a $500,000 signing bonus. Point blank, Brown has deserved every penny of that contract as he leads the league in tackles with 117.
Brown might be one the best linebackers the Redskins have had since the era of London Fletcher. However, amidst all the good Brown has done defensively for Washington this year, he does lack coverage skills. His man-to-man coverage needs work, but other than that, Brown is a must need for the middle of the Redskins defense.
Like Hogs Haven mentioned in their article about Brown, the other top signing this offseason was D.J. Swearinger. Swearinger, however, won’t need to worry about signing long-term with the Redskins for another three years as he signed a three-year, $4.5 million contract back in March with his first year being worth $6 million, according to Ian Rapoport.
#Redskins signed S DJ Swearinger to a 3-year deal worth $4.5M per year. $6M in year 1
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2017
Brown was a second-team All-Pro last year. With expiring contracts of Mason Foster, Will Compton, Chris Carter, Junior Galette and Trent Murphy coming in the offseason according to Rotoworld, it is vital and extremely important for the Redskins to lock up Brown long-term.
Redskins also have expiring contracts on Tony Bergstrom, Bashaud Breeland, Kirk Cousins, Quinton Dunbar, Ryan Grant, DeAngelo Hall, Dustin Hopkins, Shawn Lauvao, Spencer Long, Ty Nsekhe, Niles Paul, Terrelle Pryor, Brian Quick and Caraun Reid according to Rotoworld.
The biggest of all questions that won’t be answered until this offseason is what will the Redskins do with Kirk Cousins. Hopefully, that can be answered here for now. If Washington can’t lock up Cousins long-term, they can at least go the “Plan B” route. That would be to draft a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft.
