5 difficult decisions facing Commanders GM Adam Peters in 2024

Commanders must figure things out with Jonathan Allen

Jonathan Allen is one of the first-rounders who remained with the Washington Commanders past his rookie deal. His interior linemate Daron Payne is the other after he received a mammoth contract extension to prevent him from leaving in 2023.

Allen has been a leader since he arrived in 2017. Both on and off the field, he has been a first-class person. The kind of player you build around.

Sadly, there were serious signs late last season that Allen may have had enough of losing in Washington, and is eager to move on. It’s a little bit perplexing because the Commanders would seem to be headed in a better direction right now than it has been in any year since he has been here.

I suspect the prospect of a total rebuild has Allen thinking that success on the field is still several years away. But a glance across the league - the turnaround with the Houston Texans, and the Philadelphia Eagles' implosion - would seem to suggest that any rebuild could happen very quickly.

Adam Peters cannot trade away all of his core veterans - Allen, Payne, and Terry McLaurin. That would signal a complete, long-range rebuild. But he could move one of them for more assets.

If he thinks that Allen doesn’t want to be in Washington anymore, he might have to pull that trigger. I suspect this is merely frustration, and that once a new coach settles in, the former Alabama star will make some statement about his desire to stay in Washington.

I hope so, anyway.