Each year after the season ends, teams across the NFL are allowed to sign players to reserve/future contracts. Essentially, these contracts are deals that are agreed upon prior to the new league year, but don’t take effect until the official first day of the new league year, which is usually in March. Only players who weren’t on a roster at the end of the 2017 season are eligible for these deals.
In the past couple of years, the Redskins have had success signing these deals. The team inked Ziggy Hood to a futures contract during the 2016 Super Bowl, and he has since started 31 games for the team.