4 observations from Commanders GM Martin Mayhew’s combine presser
By Dean Jones
What were some major observations from Washington Commanders general manager Martin Mayhew’s presser at the 2023 NFL Combine?
Martin Mayhew came under the microscope when he became available to the media at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. After a mixed first year as Washington Commanders general manager, the pressure is on to put the right foundations in place to avoid questions about his future with the potential of a new owner coming into the fold before competitive action arrives.
It’s been a decent enough start to the offseason in Washington, on the football side anyway. The dark cloud of Dan Snyder still looms large with new allegations almost every week, which is a distraction other influential figures within the organization simply don’t need at such a crucial stage.
Retaining focus is the primary objective for Mayhew and others. He didn’t give much away during the press conference, which wasn’t unexpected, but some notable topics for discussion did emerge that caught the eye.
With this in mind, here are four major observations from Mayhew’s presser at the 2023 NFL Combine.
Major Observation No. 1
Commanders GM on contract restructures
While the Washington Commanders have some good breathing space on their salary cap this offseason despite placing the franchise tag on Daron Payne, they can help themselves further by restructuring contracts in readiness for free agency. However, this was something Martin Mayhew has yet to focus on fully based on his comments.
"“Yeah, honestly, this year we have not done a lot of deal talking at this point we have several agent meetings that we’re doing, meeting with some of the agents from some of our players but it varies from year to year. If you have somebody who you’re trying to move or if you have somebody who you’ve targeted on a different team that you’re trying to get, you’ll spend a lot of time on that. This year so far, I haven’t spent much time on that.”"
With the legal tampering period getting underway on March 13, the Commanders need to act quickly. But with eight draft selections at their disposal and $16.41 million in available cap space, they might decide to keep their financial maneuvering to a minimum.