The Washington Redskins have elected to release cornerback DeAngelo Hall on Monday, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post. The move comes just about 24 hours shy of the new league year and the new free agency period, which begins on March 12 at 4 p.m. ET.
Hall, a 10-year veteran in the NFL, was set to make about $8 million next season, and the Redskins are already having cap trouble. Washington was levied a $36 million penalty over two years due to previous issues with contracts and the salary cap, which put them approximately $3 million over the 2013 cap.
It was reported on March 8, also by Mike Jones, that the Redskins were likely to release Hall. More importantly, Jones noted that the Redskins hadn't talked to Hall about restructuring his contract as of Friday afternoon, which is significant.
It's significant due to the fact that Hall has been vocal about being willing to restructure his contract to remain in Washington for the foreseeable future. At this point, it's unclear if the Redskins would have even kept Hall on the roster were they not going through cap issues.
Hall had 95 tackles and four interceptions last season, which aren't bad numbers by any means. There's quite a few solid cornerbacks already on the market so it's going to be tough for Hall to push for the contract he's after, but there should still be a solid market for his services. Hall will likely be a starter for one team going forward, but how much he brings to the table at this point in his career is up for debate.
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