Ted Washington signs with Oakland

[WMUDan]

By John Clayton
ESPN.com

The Raiders made their first strike in free agency Wednesday by reaching a four-year, $14 million deal with defensive tackle Ted Washington that included a $4 million signing bonus.


Washington wasted no time hitting the free agent market after rejecting a three-year, $8 million deal from the Patriots, who thought they were close to having a deal. The reason that the Patriots thought they were close was because they had met Washington's early asking price.


The problem was this was an asking price that dated back to November when Washington wanted to re-sign and not hit free agency. A week ago, the Patriots came to him with a three-year, $7 million offer.


Washington then started to get the sense more money would be available in free agency. He was right. He'll get $5.5 million this season and $8 million over the first two years.


Washington, who turns 36 in April, is considered one of the league's best run-stoppers. He was instrumental in helping the Patriots get to the Super Bowl.


The plan for the Raiders is to use him in a rotation with John Parrella, another run-stopping defensive tackle. Last season, the Raiders gave up 156.9 yards a game on the ground, 4.6 yards a carry.