Washington free agency summary
March 19, 2021
by Steve Thomas
Washington has had a pretty productive first week of free agency, don’t you think? As a summary, the team has signed the following players so far:
● QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (Steve Thomas’ summary of Fitzpatrick is here; Dave Earl’s take on the signing is here)
● CB William Jackson (Steve Thomas’ summary of Jackson is here)
● WR Curtis Samuel (Alex Zeese’s summary of Samuel is here)
● K Dustin Hopkins – re-signed for 1 year, $2.462M
● CB Danny Johnson – re-signed for 1 year
● RB Lamar Miller – re-signed for 1 year
● T David Sharpe – re-signed for 1 year
● WR Cam Sims – received exclusive rights free agent tender for 1 year, $850K
We also saw the end of long snapper Nick Sundberg‘s time with the team. Sundberg announced on social media that he had been informed by coach Ron Rivera that Washington was not going to bring him back for another season.
Finally, Washington signed linebacker David Mayo and center Tyler Larsen last night. Mayo was a 2015 fifth round pick by the Carolina Panthers out of Texas St. He stayed with the Panthers through 2019, when he was signed by the Giants for 3 years; however, the Giants released him earlier this month. He has been a career backup at inside linebacker, playing in a total of 86 games, with 19 starts, 173 total tackles, including 109 solo, and 2 sacks. In 2020, Mayo played 11 games, including 2 starts, with 29 total tackles, including 18 solo. Mayo will most likely be depth for Washington’s linebacker group.
Larsen was a 2014 free agent from Texas St. who was originally signed by the Miami Dolphins but was released at the end of training camp. Larsen then spent 2015 training camp with Washington but was again released prior to the start of the regular season. He caught on with the Carolina Panthers in 2016 and stayed for five seasons through 2020, where he played 68 games, including 18 starts. Larsen’s principal role in Carolina was as 5x Pro Bowler Ryan Kalil‘s backup. Larsen will most likely serve as depth behind starting center Chase Roullier.
Larsen was signed to a one year contract of unknown amount. The details of Mayo’s contract are also unknown.
With these signings, at a minimum Washington is still in need of a starting-quality linebacker and free safety, as well as a new long snapper. It’s possible that Washington views Mayo as a starter at linebacker, but that seems unlikely given his career arc to date.