Redskins: Why Zach Brown’s re-signing was the best move the Redskins could have made

Brown’s contract was somewhat of a steal

The three-year, $24 million deal that Brown signed was a bargain compared to what he was expected to sign. When Anthony Hitchens signed a deal that paid him $9 million a year, it was expected that Brown could possibly land $10 million or more on a deal. Not because Brown is necessarily that much better than Hitchens, but because Brown was more of a proven commodity and a better tackler.

There had been many talks about how Brown wanted to be paid like a top-three linebacker, and it was possible that he could get that kind of money. As has been seen in the past, teams are usually willing to pay a premium for quality, athletic players at a position of need. Especially considering how much cap space was available across the league in 2017. Instead, Brown stayed where he was comfortable and landed a long-term deal, which had to be refreshing after playing the last two seasons on one-year deals.

Comparatively, Brown’s contract is a solid value. He landed the sixth most in terms of average annual value at the $8 million figure. It tied the number from Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall‘s deal, though Brown’s deal is one year shorter. This seems to be an adequate representation of what he is worth, so it seems that he and the organization reached a perfect middle ground.

There’s no doubt that Brown did well for himself. Given that he’s 28, he will hit free agency again when he turns 31. And if he can keep performing at the same level, he will give himself a shot to earn one more solid, two or three year contract before hitting the twilight of his career. That will be a good future opportunity for him while he still gets the present value he deserves.

For the Redskins, they got a deal that not many expected them to get. It was a bargain relative to the Hitchens deal, so that’s a win for the front office.