When Terrance Knighton left Denver for Washington in free agency, his new team got a bargain. In fact, Knighton thinks no team got a better deal in all of the NFL than Washington got when he signed.
“Yeah, I was [the biggest steal],” Knighton told Don Banks of SI.com. “But I’ve always bet on myself. I consider myself a premier player in this league, and I’ve got a lot of football left. This will be my seventh season, so when I hit the table again, there won’t be any excuses next time.”
Knighton got $2.95 million guaranteed, is slated to earn $100,000 by participating in the team’s offseason workout program, and can earn another $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses and another $450,000 if he keeps his weight down. The specifics of the weight incentives in his contract have not been revealed publicly, but Knighton said he intends to play in the 340-pound range this season.
“I’m just naturally a big guy, a 340–350-pound player,” he said. “But I’m a special type of 350 in that I can move like guys who are 300 pounds.”
If Knighton reports to training camp on weight and in shape, he very well might be among the biggest steals in free agency. He has the talent to be an elite defensive tackle. Especially if he’s in shape.