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.
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.
Bad teams stay bad https://t.co/ptInjZCY1x
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) 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
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.