Looking into Commanders' rookie extension candidates and what they might get

Which Washington Commanders players are candidates to have their rookie contracts extended and how much could they make?

After making some tough decisions in terms of personnel, the Washington Commanders have put themselves in a strong position for future prosperity. They are rich in draft assets and have the league's most available salary-cap space as it stands. Their rebuild will take time, but the tools are there to speed things up at the very least.

Having a more stable front-office operation in keeping with traditional success around the league also helps. It's going to be an exciting offseason in terms of recruitment. General manager Adam Peters and his staff must also determine what to do with those already on the books.

Some will be removed from the equation. Others have their future hanging in the balance. Very few are guaranteed an extended stay. That's just this offseason looking at how many established figures are looking to have their rookie deals enhanced in the coming years.

With this in mind, we took a look at four Commanders' rookie extension candidates and what they might get on their next deals.

Antonio Gibson - Commanders RB

Paying running backs is a dying trend around the league. Only the truly elite get megabucks deals as the position becomes devalued for durability reasons. This puts the Washington Commanders in a predicament where Antonio Gibson is concerned.

Despite gaining more than 1,000 rushing yards once upon a time, Gibson is seen more as a pass-catching specialist these days. Couple this with the emergence of Brian Robinson Jr. and Chris Rodriguez Jr., the Commanders might decide to let the former third-round selection take his chances elsewhere if the money doesn't work for them.

Looking at the current state of affairs across the NFL, it would be surprising if Gibson got more than $2-3 million per year. That might sound harsh, but this is the nature of the business.