As the March league owners’ meetings draw closer, the sense around the NFL continues to build that Dan Snyder‘s time as owner of the Commanders is coming to an end. His departure – either through a sale or an unprecedented vote forcing him out of his position – could be hinted at by the team’s recent financial decisions. 
The Commanders have delayed the payouts of signing bonuses on their recent player contracts, as detailed by Ben Standig of The Athletic (subscription required). Typically, teams arrange contracts so that the first installment of sizeable payouts are scheduled to be doled out within a few weeks of the contracts becoming official. As Standig notes, Washington has followed this standard practice with deals signed in previous offseasons, including left tackle Trent Williams, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and wideout Terry McLaurin.
However, the team’s monster extension with Daron Payne, which was signed not long after they applied the franchise tag on him, calls for his first signing bonus payment to be delayed until May 12, per Standig. That date marks exactly two months after the deal was agreed to, and, more notably, is likely to come after a new ownership group is in place to take on the Commanders’ financial responsibilities, including payroll. The same holds true for Washington’s deals with right tackle Andrew Wylie and quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
“Relative to their prior contract precedents, it would seem that they have intentionally delayed the first installment of their signing bonuses,” one former team employee said in an observation of the situation. “[It’s] very plausible that it’s related to the expected timeline of a sale… I think the payout dates are fairly telling.”
The possibility of a vote forcing Snyder out was a talking point during the 2022 season, with Colts owner Jim Irsay noting in October how such a move was on the table. Bidding on the embattled franchise has since taken place, with a shortlist of fellow pro sports owners Josh Harris and Tilman Fertitta being named as potential finalists. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos remains connected to a potential purchase, though reports have pointed to him not being allowed to participate in any hypothetical sales process.
Adding to the recent report that a Commander sale is imminent, NBC Sports’ JP Finlay tweets that the situation now metaphorically sits at ‘first and goal.’ The league’s owners are set to meet next week, so further developments on this front could be coming very soon. As the team’s contract arrangements this offseason suggest, an ownership change remains the likeliest end to the situation in Washington.
Sounds a bit off to me. $100m in contracts, going to hold up a +/-$5B dollar deal? Add in those contracts to the sale costs if need be. Like buying a car, include tax, tag, & title to complete the sale.
Don’t get me wrong, I hope Dan sells. But from what I’ve read, there weren’t enough owner’s votes to toss him out. And that was last week, maybe 2 weeks ago.
If I’m an owner I’d be hesitant to vote Snyder out without knowing how much dirt he had on me. Coups have a way of getting messy. There are also other owners that wouldn’t be missed. I do give Dan credit for fighting against the team name change as long as he did.
What a lame thing to give someone credit for.
*Former* Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos
Who ever buys it please change the name back to the Washington Redskins!!
Amen!! Heartbroken when it was changed!!!
Ask yourself if that’s really something that would happen, even if the world’s biggest racist bought the team. Do you think the other 31 other owners would approve that knowing what kind of media dumpster fire it would start? You can’t possibly think that would ever happen. So then ask yourself, why haven’t you simply accepted the fact that that name’s been relegated to the history books?
The name Redskins is in the history books but perhaps we should be asking why it was acceptable to the majority of folks for over 85 years…until the media claimed it wasn’t.
Why are you stuck on that horrible name? I must admit that I loved it as a lifelong fan but then I became an adult and realized what it was and what it represented. It was time to go just like it’s way past time for Snyder to go.
It was stated as recently as last week that there aren’t 24 owners willing to vote Snyder out – which is the minimum required. A vote isn’t needed anyway, as it is clear the sale is moving along. Snyder has his mansion on the market and has abandoned his office at the team’s practice facility. You don’t do that if you are planning to be around in September.
Exactly.