Kerrigan is officially named Washington's assistant D-line coach originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Ryan Kerrigan may not understand what the word “retirement” truly means, judging by the news that came down on Monday.
On July 30, the Commanders welcomed Kerrigan back for a press conference where he announced his NFL playing days were done. But after that, Kerrigan became a fixture at training camp, as he essentially volunteered to help out with Washington’s defensive line so he could “get a feel” for coaching, which was something he expressed interest in as a second career.
Apparently, Kerrigan enjoyed that experience, because he is now officially the team’s assistant defensive line coach.
“Ryan Kerrigan is one of the most accomplished players in this franchise’s history,” Ron Rivera said in a statement. “Following his retirement, we had a great talk about his goals for life after playing. Ryan had an interest in coaching and we were able to allow him to shadow our coaching staff this summer. He is an extremely hard worker with tremendous knowledge.”
Kerrigan will be working under Jeff Zgonina, who was promoted when Rivera fired Sam Mills III on Aug. 9 during camp. Both Kerrigan and Zgonina are Purdue products who played double-digit seasons in the league.
In the brief time that Kerrigan’s been around, he’s been much quieter than the very energetic Zgonina. However, Jonathan Allen, Montez Sweat, Chase Young and others who overlapped with Kerrigan on the field aren’t shy about discussing their admiration for him, so he should have their ears when he needs to illustrate a point or highlight a mistake.
“It’s been cool to see another end of football,” Kerrigan said last Thursday at the organization’s Welcome Home Luncheon. “I’ve really enjoyed it, because you still get to be involved in the game, you still get to prepare for the game, you just don’t have to beat your body up.”
When Kerrigan was explaining why he opted to retire back in late July, he detailed how having to be so regimented with his eating and drinking wore on him. Therefore, being able to consume what he wanted — and, most notably, drink a few beers when he wanted — in the future sounded very appealing to him.
Unfortunately, his gig on the sidelines has partially gotten in the way of that perk.
“Not as many as I’d hoped,” he said when asked Thursday if he’s upped his beer intake. “With the coaching schedule, it’s been a little bit less free time than I expected.”
