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About a week after being released, former Chicago Bear Charles Leno has secured a new contract. Leno was cut as part of a cap move to free up roughly $9million in space for the cap-strapped Bears. The veteran left tackle is reported to have received a $5million, one-year deal with Washington Football Team. Per Spotrac, this will make him the 25th-highest paid left tackle in the league in terms of average value per year.
Leno was a polarizing figure among fans in Chicago. While he was never a truly elite tackle, he answered the call reliably and made 93 consecutive starts, and his seven seasons with the team were marked by competent play. Along with Kyle Fuller, also recently released, he was one of the last holdovers from the era of former GM Phil Emery.
Washington is receiving a relatively inexpensive placeholder to hold down the line while they bring along their 2nd-round draft pick, Samuel Cosmi. This move is actually similar to what many expected Chicago to do with their second-round pick Teven Jenkins, at least until Leno’s release.