Ian Rapport of NFL Network is credited with first reporting that cornerback Kendall Fuller is set to rejoin the Redskins as a free agent. Fuller was drafted by Washington in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft before being traded to Kansas City in 2018 as part of the deal to acquire quarterback Alex Smith from the Chiefs. Per Rapoport, Fuller’s new deal with the Redskins is reportedly worth approximately $40 million over four years.
Fuller came up big in crunch time for Kansas City in Super Bowl LIV, picking off San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo with 1:04 left in the game to effectively seal the Chiefs’ first Super Bowl championship in 50 years. Fuller made a leaping grab over 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel to seal the win.
Former Virginia Tech defender Kendall Fuller (left) is headed back to the Redskins to join safety Chuck Clark (right) after signing a free-agent contract earlier this week.
He’ll be reunited in Washington with former Tech teammates cornerback Greg Stroman and defensive tackle Tim Settle. A member of the only family in NFL history to have four siblings all attend the same college and all be selected in the NFL Draft, the youngest Fuller brother will be playing closer to the family’s hometown of Baltimore in 2020.
Despite missing five regular season games with a broken thumb in 2019, he finished the season with 49 tackles, two passes defended and one sack. A versatile performer, Fuller worked at corner, nickel and safety for the Chiefs. He has played in 55 regular season NFL games (31 starts) with Washington and Kansas City, registering 228 tackles (173 solo), six interceptions, 26 passes defensed, eight tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a sack. In addition to Super Bowl LIV, he played in four other postseason games for Kansas City, including back-to-back AFC championship games.
Fuller saw action in 29 games for Tech from 2013-15 but played sparingly in three games as a junior in 2015 due to a knee injury. He finished his career in Blacksburg with 73 tackles, eight interceptions with one TD, 27 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Older brother Kyle has earned back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances with the Chicago Bears after leading the Bears with three interceptions and 12 pass breakups in 2019, while finishing second on the squad with 82 tackles. The 2014 first-round draft pick was part of a defense that helped the Bears rank fourth in the NFL in scoring defense (18.6 ppg) and eighth in total defense (324.1 ypg).
The lucrative free agent deal for the youngest Fuller continues a trend of former Tech defensive backs getting well-deserved paydays at the NFL level. Kyle Fuller signed a four-year, $56 million contract with $18 million guaranteed prior to the 2018 season.
–VT Athletics
