When the Washington Commanders drafted Ohio State Buckeyes star defensive end Chase Young with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, they likely hoped that the former Heisman Trophy finalist would be a dominant force and a franchise player for the team for years to come. But it looks like that isn’t going to happen.
According to a report from Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, the Washington Commanders will not be picking up the fifth-year option for Chase Young, meaning he will be a free agent following the 2023 season.
“The Commanders are not going to exercise DE Chase Young’s fifth-year option, per sources,” Jhabvala said in a tweet on Wednesday.
The Commanders are not going to exercise DE Chase Young’s fifth-year option, per sources.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 26, 2023
It’s pretty horrible news for the Commanders as it means that they will likely only be getting four years out of the former No. 2 overall pick unless they choose to franchise tag him next season. And the NFL world had plenty to say about that brutal update on Wednesday.
Young's knee surgery was very extensive, and it'll be interesting to see how that plays into his future. But I'd imagine this prompts teams to make exploratory trade calls to Washington this week. https://t.co/451lnUVP0J
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 26, 2023
Bad teams stay bad https://t.co/ptInjZCY1x
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) April 26, 2023
This is a significant one. Chase Young – a 2020 Pro Bowler and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year – is now scheduled to become a free agent next offseason. https://t.co/dx6SzTpIhW
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 26, 2023
Since he made a Pro Bowl, under the new 5th year option schedule, it would have been $17.5M fully guaranteed, per OTC https://t.co/9DgT1pIp8D https://t.co/bwtHbRjZO9
— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) April 26, 2023
Would have been $17.4M.
I get it. Can still franchise tag him if he's healthy but can't agree to an extension. https://t.co/ieNLqWdFxV
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) April 26, 2023
Huge development. Name to monitor in a Draft trade https://t.co/BC3Fg7S5Yv
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) April 26, 2023
We’ll have to see how this situation ultimately plays out as the Commanders now have a few options. They could franchise tag Young at the end of next season, they could still work toward a long-term extension, or they could simply trade him to another team in the near future.
Time will tell what happens, but this isn’t great for the Commanders in the meantime.
