Ryan Kerrigan stands on the sidelines, watching as others play the sport he loves while he can no longer play.
“I kind of had that realization the other night. … I’m not going to play football anymore. That’s kind of crazy. Been doing it for so long. But I just know where I’m at, health-wise and whatnot, that this is the best thing for me moving forward,” he said.
His leave was announced on Friday, after 11 seasons in the NFL, 10 which were with the Commanders. Even a year before he left, he wondered if he could keep going. After the Commanders lost the playoffs to Tampa Bay in 2021, he took a break because of an injury. He took off training for a few months, and he felt like his body was ‘nice’ again.
“[I] was like: ‘Oh, my body feels nice! I can do this again,’” he said. “It’s like, well, your body feels nice because you haven’t trained for football in two months, so you got to kind of acknowledge the truth there.”
Doctors reported back in May 2021 that his knee was shot, and it was best for him to quit football. However, he was not ready to stop just yet. After returning to football later as a Philadelphia Eagle, he relished the idea of playing some more, and decided to compete again.
He reflected on his past days of glory, like in 2012 when he won against Dallas in Week 17 to win the division at home, and a 2018 matchup with the Cowboys, where they won a last minute touchdown and he couldn’t find it in him to stop.
“But it’s when I come back here to [the training facility] that I really am like, ‘That’s why I’ve loved this place,’” he said. “Because it’s all the relationships you built over the years with teammates, coaches, the people in the kitchen, the strength staff…It’s hard to walk away, even though I know it’s the right thing.”
On Friday, he returned to Ashburn, where he was welcomed with applause by former teammates and coaches in the lobby where he would end his contract with the Washington team.
“He’s a guy that you could always count on,” Coach Ron Rivera said. “He’s a guy that always could help set the example. I mean, you only get so many of those guys, and when you get them, they most certainly need to be celebrated.”
Kerrigan was an amazing teammate. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin cited tips Kerrigan gave him to stay healthy and ready for game days. Chase Young especially remembers Kerrigan as a coach figure who looked up to since middle school.
“It was definitely an honor just to play with him. Good to see him. Good to see all the little RKs with him…RK never really talked too much, but every time he joked, it was funny. I used to want him to talk more. Just how we used to laugh in practice and he would give me certain things, certain tips on the field.”
His work ethic supplanted him as one of the best players on the Washington team. He strictly regulated his meals to help him get stronger, but now he has more dietary freedom. “If I want a beer, I’ll have a beer,” he said.
“I just want [fans] to know that I gave them everything I had, like, literally everything I had,” Kerrigan said. “Emotionally, physically, they got all of me. Football was my life. … I just want fans to know that it meant that much to me, that my performance and what I was showing on Sundays was that important to me, that it was my driving force in life.”
Although he has retired, he has no intention of completely leaving football. He hopes to become a coach and watch from the sidelines.
“I just love football too much to not be involved in it in any capacity,” he said.
“I kind of had that realization the other night. … I’m not going to play football anymore. That’s kind of crazy. Been doing it for so long. But I just know where I’m at, health-wise and whatnot, that this is the best thing for me moving forward,” he said.
His leave was announced on Friday, after 11 seasons in the NFL, 10 which were with the Commanders. Even a year before he left, he wondered if he could keep going. After the Commanders lost the playoffs to Tampa Bay in 2021, he took a break because of an injury. He took off training for a few months, and he felt like his body was ‘nice’ again.
“[I] was like: ‘Oh, my body feels nice! I can do this again,’” he said. “It’s like, well, your body feels nice because you haven’t trained for football in two months, so you got to kind of acknowledge the truth there.”
Doctors reported back in May 2021 that his knee was shot, and it was best for him to quit football. However, he was not ready to stop just yet. After returning to football later as a Philadelphia Eagle, he relished the idea of playing some more, and decided to compete again.
He reflected on his past days of glory, like in 2012 when he won against Dallas in Week 17 to win the division at home, and a 2018 matchup with the Cowboys, where they won a last minute touchdown and he couldn’t find it in him to stop.
“But it’s when I come back here to [the training facility] that I really am like, ‘That’s why I’ve loved this place,’” he said. “Because it’s all the relationships you built over the years with teammates, coaches, the people in the kitchen, the strength staff…It’s hard to walk away, even though I know it’s the right thing.”
On Friday, he returned to Ashburn, where he was welcomed with applause by former teammates and coaches in the lobby where he would end his contract with the Washington team.
“He’s a guy that you could always count on,” Coach Ron Rivera said. “He’s a guy that always could help set the example. I mean, you only get so many of those guys, and when you get them, they most certainly need to be celebrated.”
Kerrigan was an amazing teammate. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin cited tips Kerrigan gave him to stay healthy and ready for game days. Chase Young especially remembers Kerrigan as a coach figure who looked up to since middle school.
“It was definitely an honor just to play with him. Good to see him. Good to see all the little RKs with him…RK never really talked too much, but every time he joked, it was funny. I used to want him to talk more. Just how we used to laugh in practice and he would give me certain things, certain tips on the field.”
His work ethic supplanted him as one of the best players on the Washington team. He strictly regulated his meals to help him get stronger, but now he has more dietary freedom. “If I want a beer, I’ll have a beer,” he said.
“I just want [fans] to know that I gave them everything I had, like, literally everything I had,” Kerrigan said. “Emotionally, physically, they got all of me. Football was my life. … I just want fans to know that it meant that much to me, that my performance and what I was showing on Sundays was that important to me, that it was my driving force in life.”
Although he has retired, he has no intention of completely leaving football. He hopes to become a coach and watch from the sidelines.
“I just love football too much to not be involved in it in any capacity,” he said.
