Stone Bridge Grad Jonathan Allen Released by The Washington Commanders

Former Northern Virginia high school star and No. 1 NFL draft pick expresses gratitude for time with home town team

Brandy Simms | Mar 8, 2025

Sep 29, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (93) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Jonathan Allen era is over in Washington.

The Washington Commanders released the Northern Virginia and Stone Bridge High School product on Friday after the NFL team failed to find a trade partner. The move saves the Commanders $16.3 million in salary cap space.

Allen, who was selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, spent eight seasons with the Commanders and made a pair of Pro Bowl appearances with the NFL franchise.

“It’s never easy saying goodbye,” Allen said in a statement posted on his Instagram. “This franchise is all I’ve ever known. It’s been a part of my DNA for as long as I can remember, even before I was drafted here. This has always been my home, and I have always embraced everything that comes with representing the Washington Commanders on and off the field. Through both ups and downs, I am forever grateful for the opportunity this team gave me in 2017 as a 22-year-old kid. Believe me, that’s never lost on me.”

Allen, a defensive tackle, was the No. 17 overall pick out of Alabama in 2017. During his tenure on the college gridiron, Allen helped lead the Crimson Tide to the CFP national championship in 2015. He also earned various individual accolades including the SEC Player of the Year in 2016. He was also a unanimous All-American that year.

In 2016, Allen earned the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Ted Hendricks Award and Lombardi Award while competing on the gridiron at Alabama.

At Stone Bridge in Ashburn, Virginia, Allen was named the Virginia Gatorade Football Player of the Year during his senior campaign in 2012. He was inducted into the Northern Virginia Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

Published Mar 8, 2025

BRANDY SIMMS

Brandy Simms is an award-winning sports journalist who has covered professional, college and high school sports in the DMV for more than 30 years including the NFL, NBA and WNBA. He has an extensive background in both print and broadcast media and has freelanced for SLAM, Dime Magazine and The Washington Post. A former Sports Editor for The Montgomery County Sentinel, Simms captured first place honors in the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association 2006 Editorial Contest for a sports column entitled “Remembering Len Bias.” The Oakland, California native began his postgraduate career at WMAL-AM Radio in Washington, D.C. where he produced the market’s top-rated sports talk show “Sports Call” with host Ken Beatrice. A former Sports Director for “Cable News 21,” Simms also produced sports at WJLA-TV and served as host of the award-winning “Metro Sports Connection” program on Montgomery Community Television. Simms is a frequent contributor to various radio and television sports talk shows in the Washington, D.C. market. In 2024, he made his national television debut on “The Rich Eisen Show” on the Roku Channel. He began contributing to High School On SI in 2025.