Morgan Moses Signs 5 Year Extension To Remain With Washington Redskins
On the day of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins announced that they had agreed to terms that will keep right tackle Morgan Moses with the team.
The 2014 NFL Draft was full of extremely talented players. One of those players was offensive tackle Morgan Moses. The Virginia tackle was considered by some to be a potential first round pick. He had raw athleticism and showed an ability to learn the position in workouts. However, in the draft, Moses ended up being the second pick in the third round, where he was widely viewed as a developmental option for the Washington Redskins.
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As a rookie, Moses barely made an impact on the team. Playing in eight games with one start, Moses struggled to deal with the pressures of facing NFL caliber edge rushers. He was going to get a chance to improve, but it looked like it would be a long road for him. However, in his second year, Moses developed into a very strong right tackle and was one of the best in the league in 2016, his third season. He was one of the reasons that the Redskins offensive line played so well throughout the season, and he played well despite dealing with injuries.
Moses was entering his contract year in 2017, but the Redskins did not want to risk losing him. They knew how valuable Moses was to the success of the team, and they ponied up and paid him. Moses inked a five year extension, but financial details are not yet available. However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the following on his Twitter page:
Redskins and OT Morgan Moses reached agreement on 5-year extension that will make him NFL's 2nd highest paid RT, per @caplannfl and me.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 27, 2017
That means that Moses’ value will be somewhere between the $11.25 million that Lane Johnson makes and the $9.5 million that Ricky Wagner is making. Hopefully for the sake of the Redskins long-term outlook, Moses’ number is closer to the $10 million mark.
If these numbers are indeed true, then this deal is a bit of an overpay. Sure, Moses is a top five right tackle in this league. But does he deserve to make significantly more than Mitchell Schwartz of the Kansas City Chiefs ($6.6 million)? Probably not. Still, the deals signed by Wagner and others have made the market more expensive. Thus, it is hard to significantly fault the Redskins for that.
Besides, Moses is a great player and he will bookend with Trent Williams to ensure that the team’s quarterback, whether it’s Kirk Cousins or someone else, will always stay upright. They are the highest paid tackle duo in the league, and they will almost certainly play like it.
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At the end of the day, this is a fine move by the Redskins. They retained one of their top, young talents at a level that may be a bit overpriced, but will not greatly hurt the team. This was the first important move that the team made on draft day of 2017.