Kerrigan announced his retirement on Friday, ending his 11-year career by signing a one-day contract with the Washington Commanders. He played 10 seasons for Washington before signing with the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason. He said some doctors told him he should have retired last year because of a bad left knee. “I wasn’t emotionally ready to stop playing football,” Kerrigan said. “I had a good playoff game and that made me think I could still do this. As I got back into practice at the end of June, the knee bothered me again.” That made it easy for a player who said football factored into every decision he made — down to what he ate for breakfast in the offseason — to stop playing. Kerrigan, the 16th overall pick in 2011, retires as Washington’s all-time sack leader with 95.5 while also making four Pro Bowls. He didn’t record a sack in the regular season with the Eagles, but had 1.5 in a playoff loss to Tampa Bay. Kerrigan leaves as one of the last powerful people with ties to the organization’s former name. Only 11 players remain who were Kerrigan’s teammates under the former name. “Those of us who honor him as Commanders continue to bequeath that name and our team as a whole,” said center Chase Roullier, one of those 11. “It shows that we’re the same group of guys whether that name has changed or not. There are a lot of cultural changes, a lot of things that have changed, but we can still honor Ryan.” “It’s really great,” Kerrigan said at a press conference Saturday, where he was joined by his wife and three daughters — all under the age of 3. “I know this team means a lot to a lot of people. It’s one of the oldest franchises in the league and has had a lot of great players, so it’s really nice that people think of me that way.” Kerrigan has been consistent throughout his career, both in approach and production. He was meticulous about his diet, starting each day with two chicken breasts and drinking 300 ounces of water daily during the season. It helped him avoid injuries as Kerrigan started the first 139 games of his career, not being sidelined until his final season in Washington with a concussion. “I tried to take a consistent approach every day, whether it was Week 1 or Week 17, whether we were 3-0 or 0-3,” he said. “That’s what allows you to be successful in the NFL, when you have an approach and you stick with it even when it’s not convenient. “…It meant a lot to me to be out there for 139 straight games and to be ready to play was a testament to how I felt about the game and how I felt about my approach to it.” When Kerrigan walked into Washington’s practice Friday afternoon, he was greeted by players and coaches, who gave him a standing ovation. “The biggest thing is what he meant to the franchise, the fans and the community,” Washington coach Ron Rivera said, “and also talking to him about how important it was to do this. We felt compelled because it was the right thing to do. . . . He was a guy you could always count on and help lead by example. You only get so many of those guys, so when you get them, you should definitely celebrate them.” Roullier called Kerrigan the “epitome” of an NFL player. Kerrigan said it was as simple as committing to a game he loved — and that he would like to continue coaching. “I gave them everything I had,” Kerrigan said. “Emotionally, physically everything took me. Football was my life. I didn’t have many hobbies. It was all about football: How would this everyday decision help me in football? OK, I wake up in the morning, I eat breakfast how is this going to help me the breakfast at football? That’s how I approached every day.”
