The Washington Commanders‘ offseason is starting to heat up as we approach the home stretch of February.
With the franchise tag window open and free agency less than three weeks away, teams around the league have begun cutting players and restructuring contracts to free up cap space in preparation for the annual sweepstakes.
The Commanders are flush with close to $31 million in cap space, so they’ve yet to exercise any money-crunching maneuvers.
That could change in the coming weeks (or days), but fans have been clamoring for some insight into the team’s offseason plans. Speculation is fun, but it only moves the needle for so long until you long for the real thing.
Amazingly enough, Ron Rivera answered the bell in this regard during a revealing interview with Ben Standig of The Athletic. Between the QB search and addressing players’ futures, a lot was discussed during the Zoom call.
It’d take forever to get into all the details of their discussion, so let’s review some leading bullet points, shall we?
3 takeaways from Commanders HC Ron Rivera’s latest interview
3. Rivera isn’t afraid to deal homegrown talent for QB
Washington failed at trading for Matthew Stafford last offseason, but Rivera isn’t letting that dissuade him from dipping his toes back into the QB market.
In fact, the head coach believes the Commanders are still positioned to pull off a trade akin to the Rams’ acquisition of Stafford last offseason and the Buccaneers’ signing of Tom Brady the year before that, both of which led to championships.
"“For the most part, (the Bucs and Rams) were in place and went and got their quarterback,” Rivera said. “I believe we have the makings of a good football team. We have to be able to have the pieces in place to say that, and I believe we do.”"
It sounds like Rivera is ready to get his hands dirty in pursuit of a star QB. How dirty? Well, in speaking with Standig, the two-time AP Coach of the Year conveyed his understanding that the price tag could require trading away homegrown talent, as much as he might want to keep the team’s core in tact.
"“If you feel like you need to get those pieces, and you can get those pieces using draft capital or whatever capital you have in terms of player trades and all that good stuff, why not do it?” Rivera added."
Rivera makes a good point here. While guys like Jonathan Allen and Terry McLaurin should be untouchable in negotiations — we’d lump Chase Young in there, but that’s up for debate– nothing should prevent Rivera from parting ways with other impact players in the name of acquiring a franchise quarterback.
Based on these comments, Rivera is ready to do the dirty work.
2. Team eager to extend McLaurin and Payne
According to Standig, Rivera said no deals for Terry McLaurin and Daron Payne were “imminent.” However, the third-year head coach expects negotiations with their agencies to commence at next week’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
The McLaurin nugget isn’t exactly news. It’s been evident for a while that Rivera and the front office want the star receiver locked up for the long haul. Even with a mid-tier talent quarterbacking the offense, McLaurin could post 100-plus catches, 1,300 receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns every year.
Looking at the current receiver market, McLaurin could stand to receiver anywhere between $16-18 million annually, but Washington better get a move on before the likes of Deebo Samuel, DK Metcalf and AJ Brown, other standouts from the stacked 2019 draft class, ink extensions with their current teams.
The big kicker here, though, is Payne, a player many Commanders fans have been quick to include in trade packages for a star quarterback.
"“We have a tremendous amount of interest in making sure these guys are with us going forward,” Rivera told The Athletic. “I think the biggest thing more than anything else is that the process is not near close to being completed. You’d love to have is clarity as soon as possible, but you just won’t because of the nature of the game. This could drag on right up into the draft, or it could happen before the draft.”"
It’s unclear what kind of contract Payne is looking for, but the idea of pairing him and Jonathan Allen along the interior of the defensive line for the foreseeable future is a concept that should resonate with the entire fan base.
Only question is what this means for Montez Sweat.
1. Don’t expect Washington to draft a rookie
Mock draft season is in full swing and almost every simulation has seen Washington pounce on a quarterback, usually Kenny Pickett or Malik Willis, with the No. 11 overall pick. We’ve seen seen Desmond Ridder and Carson Strong fall to the Commanders in the second round in some mocks.
There’s a popular sentiment going around that Washington will draft a QB even if they add a veteran in free agency or via trade. While that idea makes sense in theory, the lack of buzz surrounding the incoming class has Rivera skeptical about how many quarterbacks he’ll have on the roster this Spring.
"“We’re more than likely going to have a veteran on the roster, more than likely (will) have another veteran, (and) more than likely have an opportunity to have a rookie on the roster as well,” Rivera said."
You don’t say? Trading for Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson would cost Washington’s 2022 fist-round pick, and multiple other draft choices. At that point, drafting a rookie would be off the table.
Even if the team acquired Jimmy Garoppolo or Carson Wentz, both of whom would likely require a Day 2 pick, the Commanders shouldn’t spend their top draft choice on a QB for the sake of doing so. If Rivera and Co. don’t have a first-round grade for anyone and aren’t fully sold on Willis’ upside, it’d probably be best to snag the best player available, whether it be a linebacker, receiver or another position of need.
Bottom line is fans shouldn’t be sold on the idea that the Commanders will have a rookie quarterback on the roster at OTAs.