The Redskins have opened up contract discussions with free-agent-to-be Chris Baker, reports Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com. According to El-Bashir’s source, the team met on Tuesday with Baker’s rep to discuss a new deal for the defensive lineman, who is coming off a $1.3MM salary in 2013.
In his second year with the Redskins, Baker earned three starts at the end of the regular season, recording a career-high seven tackles in the team’s Week 17 game against the Giants. While re-signing Baker may not be as high a priority on Washington’s offseason to-do list as bringing back defensive players like DeAngelo Hall, Brian Orakpo, and Perry Riley, the 26-year-old lineman appears poised to earn a larger role next season if he returns to the club. As El-Bashir notes, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett mentioned Baker along with those other three players when asked last month about which defenders the team hoped to bring back.
Armed with more cap flexibility than they they’ve had in recent years, the Redskins appear committed to reaching deals with all or most of their key defensive free-agents-to-be. Yesterday, GM Bruce Allen confirmed that the team is in the early stages of negotiations with Hall, Orakpo, and Riley.