The Washington Commanders were one of the most surprising teams in the NFL last season and one of the feel-good stories of the entire league when all was said and done after their miraculous run to the NFC Championship Game.
With rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels leading the way, the Commanders won nine one-score games in 2024 and reached the conference championship game for the first time since 1991.
It was a drastic turnaround for the franchise that was considered to have had the worst run in professional sports under Dan Snyder before being sold to Josh Harris. Now, it appears that the Commanders are considering trading one of the cornerstone players who has endured all of the ups and downs over the past decade.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Washington is open to trading defensive lineman Jonathan Allen this offseason, working to find a home that is suitable for the veteran in the back-half of his career.
"The Commanders have had trade conversations centered around Pro Bowl DL Jonathan Allen, sources say," Rapoport said on Tuesday. "Washington plans to do right by the player & Allen’s camp is involved in helping him land at the right spot — either via trade or free agency. He has one year left at $15M."
Allen was a former No. 17 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, having won a national championship with the Alabama Crimson Tide. He's been nothing short of productive in Washington, racking up 401 tackles and 42 sacks in his eight-year career, being named to the Pro Bowl in both 2021 and 2022.
With one year left on his deal, though, the Commanders are in a place where they have to either pay him or let him go. While the team seems to be in a "win-now" mode with Daniels, the Offensive Rookie of the Year under center, they will likely try to cut cost on the defensive line and opt for a younger, and cheaper option going forward.
In 2024, guys like Jer'Zhan Newton, Daron Payne, Clelin Ferrell, and Dorance Armstrong Jr. held it down in the trenches for the Commanders, and that will likely represent their core group going forward.
