Washington Redskins want to re-sign Perry Riley but will likely hit FA
Washington Redskins linebacker Perry Riley Jr. (56) during the game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Redskins No. 1 priority among their own free agent this offseason is undoubtedly to re-sign star pass rusher Brian Orakpo, who is one of the best in the game and is one of the best impending free agents on either side of the ball. But another impending free agent the Redskins would like to keep is another linebacker in Perry Riley, who is just 25 and recorded at least 100 tackles, seven passes defended, and three sacks for the second straight season. His stats are a bit inflated and he needs to become a more polished LB, but he has the upside to be a talented, three-down linebacker in this league.
According to Mark Maske of the Washington Post, the Redskins want to re-sign Perry Riley, but “it appears increasingly unlikely” that they will be able to come to terms with him on a new deal before free agency opens on the 11th of March. I don’t think Riley will have a robust free agent market, but there should be teams interested in him, especially if they want a young LB who fills up the stat sheet and has upside. He is probably a mediocre player right now, but he has talent. That said, he also has plenty of bust potential, because he could easily prove to be a disaster in run defense next season and get overpaid.
The Redskins and any other team will have to be careful in negotiations with Riley, who wants to be paid handsomely this offseason. His asking price will likely come down in March when he hits free agency, but his high asking price now and the fact that the Redskins spent a significant amount of money to lock up veteran CB DeAngelo Hall long-term ensures that Riley will hit the open market next month.