The Washington Commanders have taken a step towards trading defensive tackle Jonathan Allen.
The Washington Commanders will look for high-level talent to help get over the hump in 2025. Quarterback Jayden Daniels’ rapid ascent demands as much, and in a trade market that’s expected to run hot, there will be plenty of opportunities to do so.
However, the Commanders may have to deal with some hefty departures of their own. Several players have no guaranteed money left on their deals, and in the perpetual search for surplus value, the front office may be incentivized to move on from veteran talents in the name of new blood.
Swinging for the biggest fish of the offseason could mean sacrificing starpower already in the building.
The Commanders recently gave a major trade update to star defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, signaling his potential departure.
“The Washington Commanders have granted two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jonathan Allen permission to seek a trade, sources tell CBS Sports,” Jonathan Jones reported.
The math here is pretty simple. Allen is coming off of arguably the worst year of his career, entering a decline phase ahead of his age-30 season, and is doing so with a significant contract.
Whether they trade or release Allen, the Commanders would save $16.5 million in cap space while incurring a dead cap charge of only $6 million. That’s plenty reasonable, especially given Washington’s surplus of cap space. But if Allen is standing in the way of the Commanders adding an extra elite piece, his recent performance doesn’t warrant keeping him around.
In 2024, Allen played in just eight games, logging three sacks, 19 tackles, and three tackles for loss.
“Allen has the third-highest cap number on the Commanders team in 2025 at $22.47 million,” Jones wrote. “A trade or outright release would free up nearly $17 million in cap space.
“Multiple teams have fielded calls related to Allen in recent days, and conversations are expected to continue this week in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine.”
The nail in Allen’s Washington coffin could very well be defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton. He wasn’t overly impressive as a rookie, but the Commanders could prefer giving him a runway to development over keeping Allen around for an extra year.
With a cap hit north of $20 million, Washington is set to strive for a more advantageous use of resources in 2025.
