Commanders BREAKING: Chase Young Fifth-Year Option Declined

Chase Young's future hangs in the balance as the Washington Commanders decide not to accept his fifth-year option.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 26, 2023

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Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders are making a big decision in regards to the future of Chase Young.

According to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, the Commanders will not exercise Young's fifth-year option, making him a free agent after the season.

While there were reasons to keep Young under contract for another year, there were equally as many as to why they shouldn't.

Sure, keeping Young under contract through the 2024 season would have given the team flexibility when deciding his future, but making him test free agency next offseason gives the rest of the roster flexibility.

Young's fifth-year option would have been worth just over $17 million, a pricey figure that made the decision difficult.

Given Young's injury history over the past two seasons, the money is certainly a risk for the Commanders. However, declining the fifth-year option gives Young an opportunity to prove himself and make money as one of next year's potential key free agents.

If he plays more like the rookie version of himself, Young will make similar money in free agency next spring. The Commanders could even use the franchise tag on him, which is worth around $19 million this season, as they work towards a long-term deal with him similar to how Washington handled Daron Payne's contract.

Declining his option also benefits the Commanders if Young isn't able to return to his 2020 form.

If Young disappoints in 2023, the Commanders can let him walk and move on.

However, Washington hopes that Young can be a big part of its pass rush in 2023, and declining his option for 2024 doesn't prevent that from happening.

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Published Apr 26, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.