Washington Redskins: Matt Ioannidis extension was genius
By Hunter Noll
The Washington Redskins agreed to a three-year contract extension with defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis, a genius move for the organization.
Heading into the 2019 NFL Draft, it’s no secret that the Washington Redskins could use help at a lot of different positions. The only spot they are completely set at is their defensive line. It features an abundance of young stars. Da’Ron Payne is the stud in the middle with Tim Settle backing him up. Then the outside is set up by Jonathan Allen and Matthew Ioannidis.
Payne and Settle are both 21 years old and entering their second years in the NFL. Allen is 24 and will be in his third year. That means a 25-year old entering his third year, Ioannidis, is the veteran of the group. He’s also now in Washington to stay.
The Redskins agreed to a three-year contract extension with Ioannidis worth $21.75 million. That keeps him on the team through the 2022 season. This was absolutely genius by the Redskins front office, getting a fantastic bargain.
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Ioannidis was a fifth-round pick back in 2016, the 152nd player selected overall. The hope was that he could be a nice piece for the defensive line, someone that could move around on the line and give them versatility. Instead, he’s anchored himself as a defensive end, but he still has that versatility. If the Redskins needed him to, Ioannidis could play anywhere on the line.
Let’s look at him as simply a defensive end, though. The Temple product has shown major improvements each season so far. In 2016, the rookie appeared in 10 games. He recorded eight tackles and no other stats.
Then, in 2017, Ioannidis appeared in 14 games, starting 10. This time, he jacked up his numbers. He recorded 27 tackles (three for a loss) and 4.5 sacks. Ioannidis was solid in the running game, as expected. However, he routinely brought pressure to the quarterback as well and ended the year with 17 QB hits and one forced fumble.
Last season, he appeared in 14 games again, this time starting nine. He posted new career-highs in tackles (31) and tackles for loss (6), as well as sacks (7.5) and fumble recoveries (1). Again he recorded one forced fumble, this time picking up 11 QB hits.
Ioannidis is a jack-of-all-trades, except he’s one that does everything exceptionally well. He’s not the depth piece Washington was expecting, but a legitimate problem for opposing offenses. Ioannidis also fits in perfectly with the Redskins defense. He keeps their young core together and helps to create an immovable defensive line that will only continue to grow and get better as a unit.
With this new deal, Ioannidis will be making just over $7 million per season in those three years added to his contract. As of right now, 37 defensive linemen will be making more than him in 2020 (the first year of the extension). It’s hard to argue all 37 should be ahead of him — that means the Redskins are getting a bargain with Ioannidis.
There’s also the waiting factor. If Washington decided to wait to try and re-sign him next season after his contract was up, things could’ve gone a lot differently. More players would’ve gotten paid, meaning giving Ioannidis this same deal would’ve put him behind even more people. He’d likely have wanted a spike in money. It also means other teams would’ve been able to bid on him, once again raising the price tag.
Finally, it would’ve given him another year to grow. The trajectory of the career of Ioannidis has been fantastic. He’s not only improved, but improved drastically in just three seasons and he’s not done growing either. 2019 is poised to be his best year yet — the price tag would’ve risen even more.
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The Washington Redskins did the right thing in attempting to extend the contract of Matt Ioannidis now. They struck gold when he agreed to the deal. Now he’s in the nation’s capital for the next four years, growing with a group of youthful defensive linemen that could turn the NFL on it’s head. And he’s doing so at a bargain.