Commanders DE Chase Young: Pick Up 5th-Year Option or Pass?

With the Washington Commanders' future seemingly at a crossroads, the team could shock the NFL world in how it handles Chase Young's future.

Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young is about to embark on his fourth NFL season, which comes with a big decision.

Young, the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, could have his fifth-year option picked up this offseason. BAfter more than a full season lost to injury, is it possible they'd decline his the option and set him on course to become a free agent in 2024?

Not only is it possible Young's option could be declined, it may even be likely. 

There aren't a whole lot of decisions made by the Commanders these days that don't get met with some sort of backlash. 

And as the first-round NFL Draft class awaits their team's decisions on whether or not they'll be under contract beyond next season, there's going to be a group of Washington fans who hate whatever decision Washington makes in this case. 

On one hand, only six players have made at least one Pro Bowl from that year's selection meeting. 

Young being one of them, it'd be easy to put him in a group that includes Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, Tampa Bay Buccaneers right tackle Tristan Wirfs, Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb, and Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson. 

Each of those players will have their options picked up. 

But each of them has achieved something Young hasn't by playing 75 percent of their team's snaps in two of their first three years, an average of 75 percent over the same stretch, of 50 percent of all snaps since being drafted.

Which means that without that Pro Bowl season, Young wouldn't qualify for any level of fifth-year option beyond 'Basic' as defined the Collective Bargaining Agreement. 

And the difference between the levels is more than $10 million according to current projections. 

All because of Young's rookie season when he won the 2020 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, becoming the third defensive end since 2002 to do so. 

The others are Joey Bosa of the Chargers, and Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers. 

Each of the Bosa brothers recorded nine or more sacks in their rookie campaigns, and more than 20 quarterback hits.

Young came less than two full sacks from that mark, but was eight quarterback hits away from matching his fellow award winners. 

Both Bosa brothers went on to record double-digit sacks in their second full seasons while Young has yet to have a second healthy year, but recorded just 1.5 sacks in nine games in 2021 before suffering a season-ending knee injury. 

All of this makes picking up Young's fifth-year option much trickier than your run-of-the-mill former Pro Bowl rookie of the year. 

With two years past and at just as many knee surgeries, if not more, since the Commanders' defensive end secured his elevated option figure, there's much more to this decision than simply wanting Young on the roster or not.

On top of it all, Washington has contract futures to decide with defensive tackle Daron Payne who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. 

Aditionally, defensive end Montez Sweat has just one year left on his current deal.

Clearly, Washington's decision about Young is complicated, and will impact much more than just one defensive end's future with the team.

Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82 and on the Locked On Commanders podcast.

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