1-on-1 with Ryan Kerrigan | Episode 27

standing there. To see all the d line dudes that have played with a couple of years back standing there and everybody there, it meant a lot to me. He didn't have words I did. I was like, I just I kind of thought I'd come in here and just kind of do it and then kind of leave. I thought I thought they'd be watching film, and then you know they're there. They were. That That meant a lot.

That was really really cool thing. There's so much respect for your career, love and season, and even to this day, if I asked some guys like, what is it that really has made an impact on their crowd? Don't mention you, but you set that example on how to be able to have the sustainability that success. And that's and that means I mean that that means a lot to me.

That means that I did a good job of not just you know, taking care of myself, but showing, you know, guys that you know, there's there's a there's a way to do this that can you know, help you, help you prolong your career, help you stay around a while. And I'm to know that I was able to imparse some good stuff on guys. Is a is a cool thing. Okay, So what went into the decision why today? Why now? Um?

Because to be honest, if I'm being quite frank, this that I did not intend to play this season even going into last season. I kind of knew that I kind of got to help report last last spring where to where I knew that, you know, this was gonna be my that twenty one was gonna be my last season. So I knew it was gonna you know, I knew I wasn't gonna be playing the twenty two season one way or another. Um, but I kind of wasn't quite ready to you know, announce you know, right after the

season and whatnot. And um, so I wanted to wait till now, and it all felt like a good time and um, you know, so I'm happy to be moving on. Do you know what to do with yourself right now? Then? Not waking up early, not coming to practice. No, I'm still waking up early, but it's it's to chase after my girls. I mean, my girls keep me busy. They keep me my wife busy. But now I'm I'm definitely planning to find some work. I'm not a I'm not one that will want to sit it, you know, sit

around at home. I'm gonna definitely find find a way to you know, be productive. I'm gonna challenge you a little bit on your career here, Okay, here we are on July twenty nine, twenty twenty known forever it's going to be is the day that you officially retire as a member of the Burgundy and Gold. Um, when you give a few dates and you tell me what comes true? Mind when I mentioned them too? Okay, so we'll see.

April twenty eighth, twenty eleven, I think I drafted. Yeah, started with the easy, easy one and eight paperbab Yeah, that was an easy one, Roger Goodell says. With the sixteenth pick. Yeah, they select, they select me, and it was it was unbelievable. That was You watched his draft growing up. You never really think it's going to be you, and then it's you, and it's like, holy cow, I'm here, and it was. It was amazing. How about September eleventh,

two thousand and eleven, that was my first game. You got to pick six in the third quarter and we beat the Giants, got a nice division win. You know how many yards you ran it forward for that touchdown? It was It was a long one. It was super long, like nine yards. I was saying, no, no, okay. I was. I was like, you know, this is your day. I'll let you okay, it's okay. I mean, a great way

to start FedEx Field against the Giants. How About one week later September eighteen, played the Cardinals and I got my first stack Kevin Cobb, yeah, quarterback. Yeah, I remember that. That was Yeah, that was a good day. We started out. That was won. Our second game in a row. Started out too, I know that year. And then let's see here December twelfth, two thousand and twelve. December twelve, twenty twelve, m It's week seventeen. Oh sorry, yeah, Week seventeen, Okay,

we beat the Cowboys to win the East. That was an awesome one Sunday night football, beat them on on the big stage to go to the playoffs. Yeah, it was your first division title and playoff birth. How about September fourteenth, twenty fourteen, Uh, I know, was that the Jacksonville game? Yeah? Four four stacks against Jacksonville. That was a that was the day you dream of to say that.

And then September thirteenth, twenty twenty franchise stack record. Yeah, yeah, I'm not I'm kind of impressed the recall a little bit about two Yeah, well I have one more here, although I probably could add a few more after this. How about March sixth, twenty nineteen. Oh, the best day for my firstborn was born. Never forget that. Oh what a moment. All those the pick six, the stacks, all that works. Cool, but nothing like that. And here you are now going with three beautiful girls, by the way,

a beautiful family. Congratulations on that. But if we look back over your career, I mean, there are so many record that you have as the franchise all times sack leer with ninety five and a half the number of games you played consecutively one hundred and thirty nine. From that, is there something over your career that maybe stands out to you as more meaningful or important than another. I

mean from a statistical standpoint, not in particular. I definitely took pride in sacks and forced fumbles because I felt like, as a pass rusher, that's that's like your objective, that's your touchdown. That's a running back or quarterback getting a touchdown is getting a sack in a forced fumble. So

I definitely took pride in that. But I definitely being able to being available, being available to play, and you know, no matter the situation, no matter you know, whatever week it was, if we were in playoff contention, if we're out, you know, I took a lot of pride in that that. You know, I was the same guy when things were going good, well the same guy when things were going bad, and I always always tried to make sure that that was the case. That's the part of one. I talked

to different guys. And let's say that you set that example on how to take care of your body to make sure you are available out there for those moments. Do you have a favorite memory though, of playing at FedEx Field or for the Burgundy and Gold. You mentioned one of them when we beat the Cowboys to win the NFC East in twenty twelve. Um, I would you mentioned another pick six in my first game that was incredible.

I never scored in college, so to score in my first pro game was like, oh man, this is this is cool. And then I think another another big one was against Dallas in eighteen when it got a sack fumble, Preston Smith picks it up for a touchdown, and you know, we secure a big win against Dallas and that gave

us like a two game lead in the division. And I just remember it like FedEx Field was so loud that day, and in that moment, it was just it was it felt it felt so cool to you know, have made the play to get the crowd like that. It was. It was an awesome moment. You understand this fan base and just how passionate they are, how how much they long for those wins and those celebrations. But you have one of the most iconic celebrations at this fan base loves Um the heartbreak Kid. What does it

mean that that still resonates with fans today too. I just I think it's it shows I think that you know, I'm I'm kind of relatable, Like you know, it's it's a wrestling it's a wrestler move, and I think a lot of people think, you know, wrestling is kind of funny and whatnot. So it was I think it just

showed some relatability. And I because I mean, and I just I love that people whenever I'd come out the training can't practice or whatnot, see fans, you know, doing it off the side, and it just I'm still surprised at how much it caught on. Like I remember talking a little confident about it and him telling me to do it, and I did it, and I never knew it would catch on like that, but I'm glad it did. It still does fans love it. Um. You know, they

have a lot of love for you. But what would you say, UM, as you leave this game eleven years, what is there something you might miss more than another? Um? Definitely just the environment, Like you can't you can't get a football environment, like a locker room environment unless you're in a football environment. And it's that's one of the things I've grown to appreciate over the past couple of

seasons is just how special that is. Like, you get to go to work with your friends work, you get to go to work with your friends and and and get to get to hang out, you get to play football, you get to you're in the grind. You're you're in this grind together. You you learn so much about different people from different walks of life. It's this. There's nothing like an NFL locker room, there's nothing like an NFL building. It's just and so that's what I'm gonna miss. I'm yeah,

I'll miss playing. I'll miss you know, getting sacking quarterbacks and all that. That's that was fun for sure. But the day to day with guys, the day to day with developing relationships, you know, with not only teammates and coaches, but you know, the support staff. You know, the chefs in the kitchen, the guys in the weight room, it's everybody, the equipment, everybody. And I think that's definitely what I'm going to miss the most is because that those relationships

are special. You said, you're not one to just sit around and be idle, so they do. We know what those next steps are yet not exactly but I'd know what I'd want to do, and I want to stay in football coaching, I think is the route that I want to get into. Uh, I can't think. It kind of speaks to the wanting to be in the football environment.

I just I love that, I love being around the guys and I've you know, I know I have a lot of wisdom I can pass on to guys and hopefully help some younger guys become the become the players that they want to be. And um, but yeah, I just I want to stay in football. I love love the game too much. This game loves you, the Burgundy and goal loves you. You know. We're now voting on the next ten to go. We have the eighty greatest for now voting in the next ten for the ninety grades.

What would it mean for fans to make sure that you're cemented in that list of one of the greatest Ever'd be a tremendous honor. It's this is a very historical franchise. I mean to be around as long as it's been. To think of all the players that have come through, the volume of players and also the quality of players that have come through here. If I'm you know, fortunate enough to be one of those and that's I mean, it's a hell of an honor and that's not something I,

you know, take for granted. Congratulations, Ryan, thank you, Yeah, nice to have you here. Good to have you back in the building and forever of the Burgundy and Goal. Absolutely thank you for all your news and analysis. Be sure to tune in two Command Center week nights at five thirty ten p m. On NBC Sports Washington. You can also stream on YouTube and commanders dot com. Hail to the Commanders