ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Redskins added a free agent for the first time this offseason Friday, signing receiver and former Pro Bowl kick returner Jerome Mathis.
Mathis made the Pro Bowl as a returner with the Houston Texans in 2005, but he was injured for most of the last two seasons. He became a free agent this year when the Texans opted not to make him a qualifying offer at the end of the season.
Mathis has had two recent run-ins with the law. In December, he received a misdemeanor citation after his pit bull chewed through a fence and was behaving aggressively. In February, he was charged with assaulting his pregnant common-law wife, a charge that was later dropped at the woman's request.
Mathis, 24, broke the NCAA record for career kickoff return average at Hampton, averaging 26.6 yards. He also holds the NCAA record for career kickoff returns for a touchdown with six.
The signing is a minor first addition for the usually big-spending Redskins, who uncharacteristically have de-emphasized the free agent market this year and are instead concentrating on this month's draft. Washington's only previous moves this offseason had been to re-sign some of its own free agents.
