Redskins Re-Sign DeAngelo Hall to One Year Deal
The Washington Redskins re-signed veteran cornerback DeAngelo Hall today.
Source: #Redskins and CB Deangelo Hall have agreed on a one-year deal that will bring the veteran defender back to Washington.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) April 2, 2013
The move will fill the last open need the Redskins have on the roster at a position Hall has played at for a few seasons in DC now. It has been speculated ever since Hall was released that he could, in fact, return to the Redskins at a much-reduced rate of pay. Hall’s deal is worth $2.25 million; he would have counted approximately $8 million against the salary cap had the Redskins not cut and eventually brought him back. Hall could not be reached for comment but told 106.7 The Fan that he has not yet signed his contract.
“The whole point of free agency is to test the market to see if anything’s better out there,” Hall told 106.7 The Fan. “I think Mike [Shanahan] made it known that he wanted me [back]. I made it known I wanted to be part of this team. We’ve been down for so long and to finally have something to look forward to … This really is a family atmosphere in that locker room, in that building.”
It is uncertain how the Redskins will be able to get Hall’s deal together and stay under the NFL salary cap at this moment. More than likely that will come with the release of a current player on the roster now, or perhaps a restructure of a current contract.
The coaches will be happy that Hall is returning. They tapped into his versatility last season, putting him in the slot and often times at safety (though mostly in a run defense designed to get the other two safeties closer to the line of scrimmage). They have always liked Hall’s toughness. And even though he’s prone to gamble and give up some big plays, he also ended last season by playing two of his better games with the Redskins.
It seems unlikely that the Redskins will be able to sign both, but the Redskins are still actively pursuing free agent cornerback Antoine Winfield as well.
Despite the cap penalty and loss of $36 million in cap space over two seasons, the Redskins have only lost one player they wanted to keep this off-season, linebacker Lorenzo Alexander. Hall is the 12th player to re-sign with Washington, which now has 21 of 22 returning starters under contract from last year’s NFC East Champion team.
