The Redskins will get their first chance to pick a player on Friday, which makes it a good time to start freeing up the necessary cap space to pay their incoming rookies.
Washington addressed that need by striking a deal with cornerback Josh Wilson that will save around $2 million under the salary cap. Zac Boyer of the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star reports that Wilson agreed to a deal that will slash his base salary $2 million with another $1.3 million converted to a bonus. He had been set to make $3.9 million in base salary and count $5.33 million against the cap.
The Redskins were $29,000 under the cap before this move so it was essential that they free up money to start signing their draft picks. They’ll need more to get the entire draft class under contract, but this was a necessary first step.
Wilson has started every game for the Redskins over the last two seasons. He had 74 tackles, two interceptions and 13 passes defensed in 2012 for a Redskins defense that’s expected to add players in the secondary now that they have some draft picks to use. Wilson is set to become a free agent after the 2013 season.