Commanders Coach Ron Rivera Hopes For Chase Young 'Problem'

Chase Young will be a free agent after the season following the Washington Commanders' decision to decline his fifth-year option.

Jeremy Brener | May 1, 2023

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Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders are officially making one of the more difficult decisions of their offseason today, choosing to decline defensive end Chase Young's fifth-year option.

Young, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, now has just one year left on his contract and will be a free agent at season's end. Even though the Commanders chose not to renew Young's contract, head coach Ron Rivera hopes he can have his best season yet in 2023.

“Well, just for the most part it was the football decision that we made," Rivera said. "And for the most part, it's one of those things that we want to take care of our own. We want to go out and we want 'em to play well. And if that's what happens, then we have a really good problem to have and it's something that we'll have to work through once we know where everything is.”

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 ... possibly in a return to Washington under the franchise tag or a new contract.

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Published May 1, 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.