NFL
By: Ryan Cooley
Jonathan Allen inked his name on a 4-year/$72 million contract with a $30 million signing bonus. The deal comes just before Washington players report to training camp. Allen is playing on his fifth-year option in 2021 and was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent next offseason. Many were concerned a deal wouldn’t get done before the start of training camp, but now Washington has locked up one of its best defensive players for four more years.
Here are some notes about Allen’s extension.
Allen Deserved It
Jonathan Allen proved to be one of the league’s best interior defensive linemen. While there is still room for improving his run defense, he is a top-five pass rusher at his position. According to Pro Football Focus, Allen managed an 83.7 pass-rush grade (5th among interior linemen). In fact, he recorded eight more pressures (50) in 2020 than Chase Young (42).
Allen struggled mightily in 2019, only recording a grade of 60.5. However, with the new coaching staff, he raised his overall grade to 80.3 in the 2020 regular season. Allen’s play was crucial to the defense’s success this past year, but his play was not the only area he excelled in.
Allen was named team captain in 2020 and which spoke volumes about his leadership. This defense is extremely young and needed a player they could look up to in the locker room. Despite only being 25 during the season, Allen acted as a true NFL veteran.
It’s Not Looking Good for Payne and Sweat
In a perfect world, Washington would be able to keep all four of its defensive linemen for the long haul. Unfortunately, the salary cap prevents us from living in such a world. Allen is set to make an average of $18 million per year. Payne would be the next lineman to receive an extension. However, it is unlikely he gets his payday in Washington. I believe Payne will warrant a similar contract. Washington cannot pay $36+ million for two interior defensive linemen.
Montez Sweat is in a similar boat. It’s hard to imagine Washington letting Young go after his rookie contract expires. With Young most likely going to reset the market, this team cannot give Sweat top edge rusher money, especially with Allen making $18 million per year.
Unless they opt for a team-friendly deal, both will probably be in another uniform after their rookie contracts are up.
Washington Will Have a Top Tier Defense for Years to Come
Even with Payne and Sweat unlikely to resign, they are still under contract for a few more years. If you incorporate fifth-year options and franchise tags, realistically, these four linemen could play together for three more years.
William Jackson, Kendall Fuller, and Kam Curl are all under contract for three more years as well. With the defensive line and secondary locked up for a while, expect Washington to have a top-tier defense for years to come. If Jamin Davis develops into a high-end LB, Washington could have the best defense in the league for a while.
