Ted Washington Patriots Career Overview
Ted Washington was a defensive lineman who played for the New England Patriots during the 2000s, joining the team ahead of the 2004 season after spending several years with the Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals. He became a key rotational and situational pass-rush contributor for New England, appearing in multiple playoff games and Super Bowl appearances while the Patriots built one of the most dominant defensive fronts in the league. His time with the team overlapped with a period when the Patriots consistently ranked among the top defensive units in the NFL, and he contributed to a roster that emphasized size, discipline, and gap control. Public records and team media guides list him as a veteran presence on defensive lines that featured players such as Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, and Ty Warren. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears before and after his Patriots tenure, giving him a long career across multiple franchises. Details on his specific contract terms with New England are not always broken out in public salary databases, but general NFL salary-cap data and team transaction logs provide context on his financial role during that period. For broader context on Patriots defensive spending across eras, see the team's historical salary-cap breakdowns and NFL financial reporting resources available at Forbes.
While Ted Washington was not the highest-paid defensive player on the Patriots roster, his role as a veteran depth piece and situational starter placed him within the middle-to-upper tier of defensive salaries for interior linemen during his time in New England. NFL salary figures for defensive linemen in that era typically ranged from several million dollars per year for starters to lower figures for rotational players, and Washington's compensation reflected his status as a reliable backup and occasional starter rather than a franchise cornerstone. His career earnings across all NFL teams, including the Patriots, can be estimated using publicly available salary-cap data and contract disclosures reported by sports financial outlets and team filings. These figures show a career trajectory consistent with a durable, versatile defensive lineman who extended his playing time through multiple decades of NFL service. His financial profile also reflects the broader structure of NFL contracts during the 2000s, which often included base salaries, roster bonuses, and per-game incentives rather than the massive guaranteed deals common for top-tier stars today. For more on NFL salary structures and how veteran defensive linemen are compensated, see the latest salary-cap analyses at OverTheCap.
Ted Washington Patriots Contract and Earnings
Ted Washington's contract with the Patriots was structured around the standard NFL salary-cap framework of the mid-2000s, which typically included a base salary, a signing bonus, and potential roster or per-game incentives. While the exact terms of his Patriots deal are not widely publicized in full detail, salary-cap databases and team transaction reports indicate that his total compensation placed him among the mid-level defensive linemen on the roster rather than at the top of the defensive pay scale. His earnings from the Patriots formed part of a broader career income stream that also included contracts with the Bills, Cardinals, 49ers, and Bears, with each deal reflecting his role as a veteran rotational defender. Publicly available NFL salary data and team filings offer estimates of his annual cash compensation and cap hit during his time with New England, showing a pattern consistent with a dependable depth piece who could step into starting roles when injuries or performance needs arose. For a deeper look at how NFL contracts for veteran defensive linemen were structured during that era, see the salary-cap breakdowns and contract analyses at Spotrac.
Beyond his base salary and bonuses, Ted Washington's financial profile with the Patriots also included standard NFL benefits such as per-game roster bonuses and potential performance incentives tied to starts, sacks, or playoff appearances