Efforts to trade Jonathan Allen came up short. As a result, the veteran defensive tackle is now set to become a free agent. 
The Commanders have informed Allen he will be released, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. This move will give him a small window of opportunity to test his market before the start of the new league year next week. After eight years in Washington, a change of scenery will now take place.
Allen recently emerged as a cut candidate given the fact one year remained on his contract. None of his base salary ($15.5MM) was guaranteed, and the two-time Pro Bowler was set to carry a cap hit of $22.47MM. This release will free up $16.47MM for the Commanders while generating a dead money charge of $6MM. Washington will have roughly $80MM in available funds once the move is processed.
The Commanders granted Allen permission to seek a trade during last week’s Combine, a clear indication that a parting of ways would be coming in the near future. The 30-year-old was discussed in the negotiations between Washington and San Francisco on the Deebo Samuel trade, but he was ultimately not included. Now, Allen will get a head start on free agency while Washington moves forward with a DT group which still features Daron Payne on one of the position’s most lucrative contracts.
Washington supplemented the Payne-Allen tandem by drafting Johnny Newton in the second round last year. The Illinois product wound up making 11 starts during his rookie season (thanks to the pectoral tear which sidelined Allen for a notable stretch), registering 44 tackles and a pair of sacks. Newton will be counted on to handle a first-team role moving forward now that Allen is out of the picture.
Selected in the first round in 2017, Allen has started all but one of his 113 career games. The Alabama product has reached 5.5 sacks or more on five occasions, with his personal best in that regard coming in 2021 with nine. Expectations on his next team will not include a repeat of that feat, but he can still be counted on to provide starting-caliber play during the next phase of his career. It will be interesting to see how strong of a market Allen can generate before free agency officially opens.
Dude has fallen off hard the last couple of seasons.
Don’t get distracted, Poles. Hendrickson, Dalman, and BPA in the draft.
By the end of the year he looked a lot more like himself. A bunch of teams could use him.
Omar Khan on line 1
Agreed. We still need quality youth on the d line and not failed fliers in later rounds, but comparatively to Heyward he is youthful and can’t be worse than Ogunjobi.
Yep. I’d still be all for taking Kenneth Grant at 21
But would be easier/ more comfortable with taking a WR or if Will Johnson slips etc if they’d add someone like Allen up front
New England, please!
I’m not fully understanding this move. Even if he has dropped off in play, Washington has a mountain of cap space. Even if he just plays a depth DT role this year for you, who cares? He’d be done after this year and there’s not enough flashy FAs out there to spend all that cap space you have. Just seems weird to make a move like this on a defense that needs all the help it can get. Maybe someone else on here who knows the cap rules inside and out can explain this but I don’t see the point
At some point, Jonathan Allan complained about how the team was run. There’s been periods where he said he wanted to be elsewhere. Understandable, But he might’ve made himself some enemies in management during his disaffected periods
Skins fan here.. Allen’s cap+attitude+lower production past few years+ injuries + revamping the Dline all played a part in the move. For $16 mil you can sign a good offensive lineman or corner. That leaves cap space to resign guys(see Bobby Wagner) and still have money to use/carry over to next season. Good cap management with a young team is great and allows you to splurge on guys that pop up. Debo was an example of a guy to use cap space to trade for. You can sign a 3rd, younger, cheaper DT for 1/4 of that price. They need 2-3 more D lineman so that money will be used better. #HTTR
It’s sad. Jonathan Allen was a bright spot in some dark seasons, and did not quit on the team. Now that the Redskins are a top ten team, it would be great if Allen could be part of the good times too.
This will soon turn into a disaster. Remember your owner is a Philadelphia 76ers owner. Trust the process he’s gonna trade off players after one or two years. Good luck.