3 remaining salary-cap crunches the Commanders must make in 2023
By Dean Jones
What remaining salary-cap sacrifices must the Washington Commanders make ahead of an important free agency period in 2023?
It’s been a busy week for the Washington Commanders as they look to put the right foundations in place for a successful 2023 campaign. Fringe players and special teamers have been extended on short-term deals, with the expected release of quarterback Carson Wentz announced on Monday, which saved the organization $26.17 million against their salary cap along the way.
Franchise-tagging defensive tackle Daron Payne took a large chunk of that. But allowing the player to test the free-agent market after such an outstanding season was simply not an option with so much on the line next time around.
This leaves the Commanders with $16.21 million in available space according to Spotrac. So if they want to put themselves in a better financial position ahead of free agency, more might be needed.
With this in mind, here are three remaining cap crunches the Commanders must consider making in 2023.
Cap Crunch No. 1
Commanders restructure Jonathan Allen
- Cap savings – $8.94 million
We’ve spoken about this previously, but the benefits of restructuring Jonathan Allen‘s contract are evident. The defensive tackle remains a key component of any success that comes Washington’s way in 2023 and won’t be going any other place anytime soon, so this should be a no-brainer.
Agreeing on a contract restructure gives the Commanders an additional $8.94 million to spend in free agency. Although general manager Martin Mayhew stated that these discussions have been few and far between so far during his media availability at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.