Defensive tackle Jason Hatcher put to rest any speculation that he was considering retirement or was in danger of losing his job with the Washington Redskins. In a post on his Instagram account published Monday, the 33-year-old confirmed he would no longer be playing for the Redskins, but has not decided to retire.
The Redskins' headline roster move for Monday was the release of quarterback Robert Griffin III. The team has not confirmed either roster move, but several reports claim to confirm both, and Hatcher's social media post seemingly cements his status as an upcoming free agent.
"I want to take this time to thank Dan Snyder and the entire Redskins organization for letting me stop by to serve the purpose God has on my life for these two years," Hatcher wrote. "I am proud of the way this football team has grown and will continue to grow and I'm proud to have been a part of it. To the fans yall are the best and it was a pleasure to make it a winning season for you guys. Whelp I can't stay on here all day I got to get my ass to work and find another damn job."
Though Hatcher said in January he had "been thinking lately about... retiring," but his Instagram post indicated he has chosen to play at least one more season. The next month, Redskins head coach Jay Gruden publicly stated he would like to see Hatcher return for next season. However, his return to Washington likely depended on him taking a pay cut.
By cutting Hatcher and Griffin, the Redskins freed up more than $25 million in cap space just a week after applying the franchise tag to quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Hatcher played in 15 games last season and made 20 total tackles, 16 of which were unassisted, as well as two sacks and a forced fumble. Though Hatcher may not be a formidable pass rusher any longer (he had 25 sacks from 2012 to 2014), or even a surefire starter, he will be of value to a team that wants to add depth to their defensive line.
