Redskins sign safety Deshazor Everett to three-year extension

The Washington Redskins locked up one of their key special teamers and backup safety Deshazor Everett for the long haul.

Before Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, the Washington Redskins made an announcement that flew somewhat under the radar. The team revealed that they had signed backup safety and special teams ace Deshazor Everett to a three-year extension.

Everett has been with the Redskins for most of his NFL tenure after entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M in 2015. Once thought to be a strong cornerback prospect, Everett’s play in his later college seasons dropped off. The ‘Skins signed him after the Bucs parted with him and moved him to the safety position. There, he has played solidly while being an excellent contributor on special teams.

Everett was previously on a contract paying him roughly $1.3 million annually.  According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Everett’s new deal will be worth $6 million in base value ($2 million per year) and will have extra incentives.

This seems like a fair price to pay for Everett’s services. The $2 million annually makes him paid roughly equally to Chargers safety Adrian Phillips and Chiefs safety Jordan Lucas. Both are solid backups with good tackling and special teams ability, so Everett having a deal comparable to them certainly makes sense.

This season, Everett has played in just five games due to injury issues, but he has been a great contributor on special teams. He has four tackles in those five games and has played at least 83 percent of the special teams snaps every week. That is his best role at the NFL level, but as he has proven in seasons past, he can serve as a quality spot starter at safety. But generally, he’s better served as the third safety on a team at best.

The Redskins will now have Everett’s services through 2022, and they’ll come at a reasonable price. When the contract is over, he’ll be a 30-year-old unrestricted free agent. There’s no reason to expect Everett to decline over the course of this deal given the role he is playing. And if he does, the team can probably part ways with him relatively easily.

This deal also won’t preclude Washington from adding another contributor at the position. If they aren’t pleased with the progression of Montae Nicholson and/or Troy Apke, they could always add another player. But given that both have shown growth this year, and Apke, in particular, seems to be turning the corner, they may not necessarily need to look for a big-time upgrade at safety. And at the very least, they have someone in Everett who they know can fill a variety of roles for the squad and provide experienced depth at the position.

The Everett deal isn’t a flashy one. But it’s one that makes sense for the Redskins. Some will argue that they could’ve found a cheaper solution, but considering how important Everett has been to their special teams and how he has performed as a depth safety, locking him up at this price is a sensible move. And he should be able to live up to this deal.