It won't steal headlines away from the likely return of quarterback Alex Smith in the must-win regular season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles, but it matters, and in a big way for the Washington Football Team. One day ahead of the aforementioned fight for the NFC East crown, the team secured starting center Chase Roullier through the 2024 season on a multi-year deal, the team announced on Saturday. The extension is reportedly worth a max value of $40.5 million and includes $19 million in guaranteed money, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, a pretty penny for the anchor of the team's offensive line.
Head coach Ron Rivera has nothing but praise for Roullier following the signing of the new deal. It's Rivera's first year coaching Roullier, and the latter has been nothing short of impressive in what became a very challenging season for the Washington offense.
"Chase has been a steady presence and leader on our offensive line all season," he said, via the team's website. "He is a great teammate and does everything the right way. We are glad to be able to reward a player who has spent his entire career here. He was well deserving of an extension, and I look forward to continuing to coach him as we work towards sustained success here in Washington."
Roullier was in the final year of his rookie contract this season, earning a base salary of $2.13 million to cap total earnings on his rookie deal at $4.3 million. His new deal is not only an obviously substantial pay raise, but it's made that much more impressive when factoring in his ascendence to his current role. The 27-year-old began his NFL career as the 199th-overall pick in 2017, with Washington giving him a flyer's chance out of the University of Wyoming, where he earned honors as a First-Team All-Mountain West talent. He's not only survived a coaching regime change, but also a carousel of quarterbacks, and while never missing a step.
Also one of the most durable players on team, having played in an average of 96.3 percent of the team's offensive snaps over the last three seasons, Roullier has earned every dollar awarded to him at the start of the new year.
