Jansen Extension

The longest tenured player on the Redskins roster signed a contract extension on Tuesday that virtually guarantees that he will remain a Redskin for his entire career. At 31-years old, it’s doubtful that Jansen’s football days will see much more than the 2011 season that he extended his contract through. Despite some tough stretches last season, the Redkins’ offensive line actually posted some decent numbers. The 19 sacks that they allowed were the league’s third lowest total. Jansen himself struggled with injury for a lot of the season. A calf inury hobbled him for much of the back half of the season, and actually sidelined him for a game, although it was only once the Redskins’ playoff hopes were over. While I haven’t seen the breakdown of the contract yet, it has been reported that it is a 5-year extension worth some $23 million. There is $10 million in bonus money, but it appears that $5M is in the form of a signing bonus, and $5M is in the form of an option bonus next year. The Redskins should realize some small cap relief in 2007 which will help them free up some space for the upcoming free agency period (starts March 2nd). Jansen still had two years remaining on his old contract, but ‘The Rock’ will now surely be here for the remainder of his career. When the Redskins drafted him in the second round (1999) out of Michigan. I remember being excited and thinking, ‘this guy could be our tackle for the next ten years’. After all, you say that about any first day pick offensive lineman don’t you? The difference with Jansen, is that the wishful thinking came true. This new contract ensures that Redskin fans did gain just that back in 1999 – a bookend tackle for a decade or more . That alone is something to marvel at in this day and age of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and free agency. Hopefully that calf mends well and 2007 can be his best year yet as a Redskin. With right-handed Jason Campbell at the helm, J.J can go back to doing what he does best on the strong side of the line – smashing holes for running backs with his friend Randy…