The Washington Redskins were able to lock in a key player on the defense Thursday as the team re-signed 29-year-old inside linebacker Mason Foster, to a new two-year deal. Foster ended the season last year on injured reserve but put together one of the best seasons in his career while battling injury for much of the year.
Redskins re-sign LB Mason Foster
The #Redskins signed LB Mason Foster to a 2-year deal, per agent @blakebaratz. Source added that Foster’s base is $4M over the 2 years, while he can earn a maximum of $7M for the nearly 29-year-old who ended the season on Injured Reserve.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 25, 2018
Speaking in an interview with ‘106.7 The Fan,’ Foster seemed focused.
“I know I wanted to be a part of this team,” Foster said. “I had unfinished business here.”
Signing Foster is a key move and a great place to start this offseason for the Redskins as they look to keep improving on their defense. Foster not only provides leadership but also knows the system and has played well in it since signing with the team during Week 4 of the 2015 season. Foster hopes to finish his career as Redskin.
https://twitter.com/Mason_Foster/status/956587176619323392
“I wanted to finish my career in D.C. It’s a great place, and I want to win,” Foster said. “Playing for [Greg] Manusky, the scheme that he had and the way that he lets you play, it was gonna give me the chance to show my ability, show what I can do. It fits my skill set. After talking to Manusky and Jay [Gruden] and [inside linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti] and everybody, I knew that it just felt too right. I didn’t want to have to go hit free agency and bounce around and all that stuff. I just want to stay here. I felt like I was headed towards a big year, and we had something good going, and now my sole focus is doing this rehab and coming back stronger than ever.”
https://twitter.com/Mason_Foster/status/956589692123779072
Signing Foster to a two-year deal eliminates a position of need for Washington while it also gives the team a two-year window to find his replacement. While Foster is the mainstay now, the team would like their youth movement to continue successfully rather than depending on what would be a 31-year-old linebacker in 2020.
Since joining the league in 2011, Foster has played in 91 regular season games with 76 starts, compiling 528 tackles (374 solo), 16 passes defended, 7.5 sacks, six interceptions (including two returned for touchdowns), four forced fumbles and four fumbles recovered. Despite being limited to 34 games, his 187 tackles (134 solo) since joining the Redskins in 2015 are the third-most by a member of the Redskins in that time frame.
You can catch more of Mason’s interview with ‘106.7 The Fan‘ below:
