Ryan Kerrigan announced his retirement Friday, July 29th, after his 11-year career filled with many memorable moments.
Ryan Kerrigan was born August 16th, 1988, and attended Muncie Central High School. He played for the Muncie Bearcats high school football team as an outside linebacker. An outside linebacker is a defensive position that plays closer to the starting line and is responsible for covering players near the outside of the field. Throughout his entire high school career, he had 90 tackles, and 19 sacks (tackling quarterbacks before the starting line). In his senior year, he was recruited as a 3 star recruit, and went to Purdue University. The recruitment system is based on a star system, where the greater the stars, the higher the skill. Kerrigan was drafted in his fourth year (2011), by the Washington Redskins. Kerrigan’s skills shined while on the team.
Kerrigan currently holds the records for the most sacks and forced fumbles in the state of Washington. Forced fumbles are awarded when a player causes another player to fumble the ball. He signed a four-year rookie contract with the team, which was worth $8.72 million. In Kerrigan’s debut, he scored a touchdown and gained popularity from it. Overall, Kerrigan had 63 combined tackles, 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, one interception, and one touchdown in his first year.
In the next few years, Kerrigan continued to hit many tackles, fumbles, and sacks, but in 2013, he unfortunately tore his lateral meniscus in his left knee. The lateral meniscus is an important band that circles around the tibia. It helps stabilize the knee’s movement but can be torn through direct pressure on the knee, which is very common in football. Kerrigan was forced to undergo surgery to repair his left knee in 2015.
In 2021, Kerrigan signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. After his contract with them, he announced his retirement, even though he deeply wished to play more. During his career, he played a total of 11 seasons, with four career Pro Bowls. Kerrigan said that “the day I made the decision, I slept really well that night.” Kerrigan still felt down when he had to return to the headquarters to make his retirement official. “It’s hard to walk away even though I know it’s the right thing.”
Kerrigan is a father of three kids, and plans on coaching later on. “While I’m thankful for the amazing times and memories I was able to have as a player, I’m equally thankful to now have the wisdom and courage to walk away,” said Kerrigan in a public statement.
Sources:
https://nfl.com/news/ryan-kerrigan-retires-washington-eagles-11-seasons
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Kerrigan
https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/commanders/ryan-kerrigan-calls-retirement-decision-right-thing
Ryan Kerrigan was born August 16th, 1988, and attended Muncie Central High School. He played for the Muncie Bearcats high school football team as an outside linebacker. An outside linebacker is a defensive position that plays closer to the starting line and is responsible for covering players near the outside of the field. Throughout his entire high school career, he had 90 tackles, and 19 sacks (tackling quarterbacks before the starting line). In his senior year, he was recruited as a 3 star recruit, and went to Purdue University. The recruitment system is based on a star system, where the greater the stars, the higher the skill. Kerrigan was drafted in his fourth year (2011), by the Washington Redskins. Kerrigan’s skills shined while on the team.
Kerrigan currently holds the records for the most sacks and forced fumbles in the state of Washington. Forced fumbles are awarded when a player causes another player to fumble the ball. He signed a four-year rookie contract with the team, which was worth $8.72 million. In Kerrigan’s debut, he scored a touchdown and gained popularity from it. Overall, Kerrigan had 63 combined tackles, 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, one interception, and one touchdown in his first year.
In the next few years, Kerrigan continued to hit many tackles, fumbles, and sacks, but in 2013, he unfortunately tore his lateral meniscus in his left knee. The lateral meniscus is an important band that circles around the tibia. It helps stabilize the knee’s movement but can be torn through direct pressure on the knee, which is very common in football. Kerrigan was forced to undergo surgery to repair his left knee in 2015.
In 2021, Kerrigan signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. After his contract with them, he announced his retirement, even though he deeply wished to play more. During his career, he played a total of 11 seasons, with four career Pro Bowls. Kerrigan said that “the day I made the decision, I slept really well that night.” Kerrigan still felt down when he had to return to the headquarters to make his retirement official. “It’s hard to walk away even though I know it’s the right thing.”
Kerrigan is a father of three kids, and plans on coaching later on. “While I’m thankful for the amazing times and memories I was able to have as a player, I’m equally thankful to now have the wisdom and courage to walk away,” said Kerrigan in a public statement.
Sources:
https://nfl.com/news/ryan-kerrigan-retires-washington-eagles-11-seasons
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Kerrigan
https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/commanders/ryan-kerrigan-calls-retirement-decision-right-thing