Commanders Should Prioritize Extension With EDGE Montez Sweat

The Washington Commanders made a decision earlier this offseason to decline the fifth-year option on the rookie contract of EDGE defender, Chase Young. It is a decision that will impact the franchise for years to come.

By declining the option, Young is set to become a free agent in 2024. It was a very difficult decision to make as he has had two seasons derailed by a gruesome knee injury. But, when he was healthy as a rookie, he showed all of the signs of a dominant edge defender as a pass rusher and run defender.

Alas, the Commanders decided it was not worth the price it would have cost; the fifth-year option was $17,452,000 because he made a Pro Bowl roster. As you can see from the PFF piece, Young also had elite numbers through the first two seasons of his career, but that all came two years ago.

By declining that option, Washington has complicated things for itself. Teams only have one franchise tag to use and they will have a tough choice about who to use it on. If Young plays well he could warrant it, but the player who they should be focusing their long-term attention on is Montez Sweat.

Sweat has been a consistent producer for the Commanders since being selected in the first round, No. 26 overall, in the 2019 NFL Draft. He has been a full-time starter since Day 1 and someone that Washington could count on week in and week out on the edge; 2021 is the only season that he has missed any games in as he suffered a fractured jaw.

Looking at his track record, it is easy to see why someone such as Sweat would be a worthwhile extension candidate. He has registered at least 5.0 sacks and 13 quarterback hits in every season of his career.

Set to play out the fifth-year option on his contract, working out an extension for Sweat would make a lot of sense. It would take a lot of the pressure off of the front office come the offseason when they’d be under the gun with Young and Sweat both hitting the open market.

There could be some hesitation from the team as they are in an ownership change and have already committed big money to two defensive linemen; Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. But, Sweat has proven that he can be a force alongside those two players.

While Sweat may not possess the upside Young does, it is anyone’s guess if he will reach that potential or even the level that Sweat has already gotten to. With a more proven track record and a clean bill of health outside of 2021, Sweat is a much safer long-term investment than Young is.