The window for the Washington Commanders is as wide open as any team in the NFL right now thanks to an influx of young talent led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who led the franchise to its first playoff win since 2005 in the NFC Wild Card Round.
When we say open, we mean like open for the next decade. That means the most important thing to the Commanders in terms of the offseason each year isn’t necessarily going to be through free agency but the draft.
Outside of Daniels, the Commanders didn’t do great in the 2024 NFL draft — cornerback Mike Sainristil is the other highlight. That means accumulating draft picks and shedding expensive contracts should be a priority. That means offloading veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and the final year of the 4-year, $72 million contract extension he signed in 2021.
Allen could have serious value to a Super Bowl contender who wants to stay in contention and has a serious need on the interior defensive line — and the cap space to take on Allen’s $17 million salary in 2025 — which means most likely striking a deal with the Detroit Lions.
The Lions, in return, could help fill Washington’s coffers with draft picks. One starting point in the negotiations could be either Detroit’s 2025 second round pick and 2025 fifth round pick or Detroit’s 2025 second round pick, 2025 sixth round pick and a 2025 seventh round pick.
Allen Finds Himself Outside Looking In On Commanders
The Commanders don’t need to be paying two interior defensive linemen a combined $162 million, which they’re doing right now with Allen and Daron Payne, who has a 4-year, $90 million contract he signed in March 2023.
Add into that the Commanders also spent a high draft pick on an interior defensive lineman in the 2024 draft — Jer’Zhan Newton in the second round (No. 36 overall) — and Allen very much finds himself on the outside looking after playing just 9 games in 2024 due to a torn pectoral muscle.
While Allen has returned for the playoffs, it’s Payne and Newton who have done the dirty work on the interior for the Commanders this season, combining almost equally for 86 tackles, 6.0 sacks and 11 QB hits. While those are numbers Allen has put up almost on his own in the past, you can’t argue with the results — the Commanders went 12-5 and had their best regular season in 33 years.
Commanders Can Spend $17 Million On Edge Rusher
The Commanders did an amazing job of spending on high quality free agents at bargain prices in 2024 — notably they signed a pair of NFL All-Pro linebackers in Bobby Wagner (1 year, $6.5 million) and Frankie Luvu (3 years, $31 million) along with edge rusher Dante Fowler (1 year, $3.25 million), who leads the team with 10.5 sacks.
One thing to consider about dealing Allen is that, conceivably, the entirety of that money could just be spent on retaining Wagner and Fowler on a pair of new, 1-year contracts. That might equate to a 1-year, $10 million deal for Wagner, who just earned his 11th All-Pro selection, and a 1-year, $7 million deal for Fowler, the No. 3 overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2015 NFL draft.
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Commanders Urged to Trade $72 Million DT to Super Bowl Contender