5 difficult decisions facing Commanders GM Adam Peters in 2024

Jamin Davis' fifth-year option

Jamin Davis enters his fourth season in 2024. That means the Washington Commanders will need to decide on whether to exercise the team option for a fifth year by March. If they choose to do so, the linebacker will be owed somewhere in the neighborhood of $13 million in 2025.

This is far from guaranteed. If the Commanders do not exercise the option, he will play out the remainder of his contract in 2024. Barring a negotiated extension, Davis will become a free agent when the season is over.

Davis’ case may be the most important example of what I mentioned earlier. Has the former first-round pick failed to develop because he was over-drafted, or because he has been poorly coached?

At this point, Davis is a fairly average linebacker. He is somewhat better than his disastrous rookie season when he was asked to assume traditional middle linebacking responsibilities and looked completely overwhelmed. This should have been obvious to Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio because it was obvious to everyone else. But they stubbornly refused to tinker with his role until late in the season.

In his third year, he made some good plays. Davis was still out of position too often. In other words, an average player.

If that is Adam Peters’ judgment, you can not extend him. You will have to let him play on an expiring contract in 2024. If he shows growth, you can try and re-sign him during the season, or you can bank an expected compensatory pick when he leaves.

If, however, the Commanders decide there is talent waiting to be unlocked, then perhaps they extend him. Only two current Washington players have lasted with the team through their rookie deals. This is an enormous black mark on the franchise as a whole.

Speaking of which…