Field Gulls
Jonathan Allen has been with the Washington Commanders since 2017.
Following an incredible run to the NFC Championship Game, the Washington Commanders are prepared to let go of one of their defensive stars.
Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen has been granted permission to speak with other teams, which naturally indicates that Washington is open to trading Allen after eight seasons. He has one year left on his four-year, $72 million contract extension.
An interesting nugget from ESPN’s article that may or may not have been previously reported is the Seattle Seahawks showing interest in trading for Allen prior to the 2023 trade deadline.
Allen, a two-time Pro Bowler, has a cap hit of $22.3 million. Washington would save $16.3 million in cap space whether he is traded or released before June 1. Seattle had inquired about Allen before the 2023 trade deadline, according to multiple sources, but with a new coaching staff it’s uncertain if the Seahawks would remain interested.
It doesn’t take much to put two and two together and note that Seattle did trade for Leonard Williams that same season, so this would track in terms of the Seahawks showing interest in boosting their defensive line.
Allen is a two-time Pro Bowl selection who’s been one of the better interior linemen in the league since Washington selected him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He missed roughly half of the 2024 season with a torn pectoral muscle, which was thought to be season-ending before he incredibly returned for the end of the regular season. Prior to that injury, Allen had only missed three career games.
Now, would the Seahawks remain interested as speculated by the ESPN article? I’d think not, despite Allen’s talents. Allen’s salary is a non-guaranteed $15.5 million, but his cap hit is north of $20 million and presumably he’d be seeking an extension upon a trade, which Seattle already did with Williams.
There’s almost no chance that Allen is going to the Seahawks, but hopefully he’s also not going to one of the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, or San Francisco 49ers.
