Report: The Washington Commanders are not picking up Chase Young’s fifth-year option

The Washington Commanders have informed Chase Young and his agent that they will not be picking up his 5th year option. The deadline is May 2nd, and Ron Rivera had said the team would make it’s decision by then. Young would have made a fully guaranteed $17.452 million if the team had picked up the option, but now he will potentially hit free agency after the season.

Chase Young was the #2 overall pick in 2020, Ron Rivera’s first season as head coach in Washington. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year, and headed into his second season with high hopes of setting records alongside Montez Sweat. A major ACL injury derailed those dreams, but Young hadn’t been nearly as effective before his season ended prematurely. He had ACL reconstruction surgery, and also had his ruptured patellar tendon repaired. Young finally returned to the field in Week 15 of the 2022 season after several weeks of speculation and mixed excuses for why he was still not playing.

The Washington Commanders defensive end depth chart is solid, but it’s also short-term. They don’t have any stability after this year with Young, Sweat, James Smith-Williams, Efe Obada and Casey Toohill all set to hit free agency after this season. Washington has the option to franchise tag either Sweat or Young after the season, and Rivera is probably banking on both of them having career seasons, but none of that is guaranteed for the players or the team. Washington could still sign either player to an extension at any time before the start of the next league year, but that door seems shut for Young, and there hasn’t been much talk about a Sweat extension.