Ashburn, Va. – The Washington Redskins announced today that they have signed free agent defensive end Ricky Jean Francois (“Zhon fran-SWAH”).
Jean Francois (6-3, 297) is a veteran of six NFL seasons who was originally selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round (244th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft. He has appeared in 77 career regular season games with 28 starts, compiling 95 tackles (64 solo), 8.5 sacks, eight passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Jean Francois spent the first four seasons of his career with the 49ers from 2009-12, playing in 51 regular season games and five postseason games for the franchise, including Super Bowl XLVII. He signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an unrestricted free agent on March 14, 2013, and played in 26 regular season games with 23 starts for the team across the 2013-14 seasons. Last year, Jean Francois posted career highs in starts (13), tackles (28), tackles for loss (seven), passes defensed (four), sacks (3.0) and fumble recoveries (one).
Jean Francois played his college ball at LSU from 2005-08, finishing his career with 56 tackles (10 for loss) and 5.5 sacks in 25 career games. During his sophomore season in 2007, he earned Defensive MVP honors in LSU’s BCS National Championship Game victory against Ohio State.
Jean Francois, 28, attended Carol City H.S. in Miami Gardens, Fla., where he was named the Dade County Male Athlete of the Year in both 2004 and 2005, becoming the first two-time winner of the award in its 49-year history. He was born on Nov. 23, 1986.