Commanders DE Chase Young: NFL Free Agency Loser?
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The Washington Commanders made a splash signing before the NFL's legal tampering period opened ahead of the new league year by inking defensive tackle Daron Payne to a new - and lucrative - deal.
That four-year, $90 million deal ranks the Commanders star second among defensive tackles in the league in annual average value behind Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams.
Despite the fact Payne's contract only counts for $10 million against this year's salary cap, Washington is still dedicating about $4 million more to its defensive line than any other team in the NFL this season.
And that future cap structure may prove to be a poison pill for the future of defensive end Chase Young.
Young is entering his fourth season in the league after being the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft meaning his fifth-year option decision is due from the Commanders no later than May 1st of this year.
If picked up, Young projects to be fully guaranteed $17.45 million to play next year in Washington.
Should the Commanders choose not to exercise Young's option, he'll be scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2024.
Also scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason is defensive end Montez Sweat, who is projected to earn just north of $16 million per year in his next contract.
So the choice Washington is facing involves paying one defensive end over $17 million - fully guaranteed - or paying the other around $16 million per year on average with the ability to spread out the cap hit if necessary.
Young, the more expensive option, has played in just 12 games over the past two-thirds of his career and hasn't come close to replicating his 7.5 sack rookie pace when he was healthy enough to play.
The supposedly cheaper option, Sweat has played in 16 or more games in three of his four years up to now, and only a part of the seven games he missed in 2021 were due to injury as a combination of COVID-19 protocols and family tragedy kept him off the field as well.
Additionally, Sweat reached seven or more sacks - and was on pace to do the same in 2021 - in each of his seasons.
Looking ahead to next year when Payne's new contract is scheduled to account for just over $23 million in cap space, the Commanders currently rank fourth in funds allocated to their 2024 defensive line.
Retaining either Young or Sweat at their expected values moves them into first place once again.
Even if the first year of Sweat's deal were reduced to around $10 million against the cap like Payne's is, Washington would still be in the top spot when it comes to spending on the defensive line.
And we're not suggesting the defensive line isn't worth the investment.
But paying both Sweat and Young puts the Commanders near the $80 million mark on the defensive line alone next season.
That's twice what the New York Jets are currently scheduled to pay theirs this year, who are 10th in the NFL in this category.
Simply put, it appears the Paye deal prohibits - or at least significantly diminishes the chances - Washington from keeping both Sweat and Young.
And if you ask us, the man to keep is Sweat, making Young the odd man out and raising the Commanders' need for a new edge rusher up their NFL Draft board just a bit.
Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82 and on the Locked On Commanders podcast.
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