Chicago defensive tackle Stephen Paea has signed with Washington
It’s very rare to hear “Dan Snyder” and “cautious approach” in the same sentence, but that’s what seems to be happening in this year’s NFL free agency period.
While other teams were busy signing free agents to contracts for ridiculous money, or else exploding Twitter with shocking trades (yes, both of those are about the Eagles), Dan Snyder’s club, usually at the forefront of ridiculous spending, has remained uncharacteristically quiet.
Washington did make one free agent signing, waiting until Wednesday to do so, adding former Chicago Bears defensive lineman Stephen Paea.
Exact terms of the contract weren’t immediately available, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported that Paea’s contract is for four years, with an average salary of $5 million per year, and Chicago’s Daily Herald reports that the deal includes $15 million in guaranteed money.
The #Redskins are signing Stephen Paea more than $5M over 4 years
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2015
The 6’1″. 300-pound Paea, whose name is sadly not pronounced like the Spanish dish paella, started all 16 games last season, and has 12 career sacks, including six last year, after being drafted in the first round in 2011. He’s been a rare bright spot on a Bears defense that has fallen apart in the post-Lovie Smith era, and they’ll miss his productivity.
It’s been an offseason of David Bowie-style ch-ch-changes for the Bears, who have hired a new coach and GM for the second time in four years, traded star receiver Brandon Marshall, and now lost Paea. Despite many rumors, though, they haven’t traded Jay Cutler (yet). Despite the offensive moves, it’s the defense that needs an overall, and losing one of their few productive defenders won’t help the effort.
As for Washington, they’ve been quietly and, at the risk of making up words, very un-Snyderishly making small moves to upgrade areas of need, adding Paea and ex-Colt Ricky-Jean Francois, but remaining quiet when it comes to the major free agents. In years past they’d be all over Ndamakong Suh, DeMarco Murray, etc., but under new GM Scot McCloughan they appear to have abandoned that philosophy. At least, for now. We could still wake up tomorrow and find out they’ve traded their entire team for Peyton Manning. This offseason’s been weird like that.
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