Chase Young hadn’t even had time to leave the DMV on Tuesday after the news broke that the Washington Commanders agreed to trade him to the San Francisco 49ers before the negative stories started coming out.
Shortly after Young’s trade, Ben Standig of The Athletic published an article analyzing Washington’s trades of Young and Montez Sweat, and one thing in particular stood out.
However, the team sees trading Young as a potential addition by subtraction, the source said. Even amid Young’s strong season, there are lingering concerns about his durability and on-field discipline.
Nothing Standig said was wrong here. There have long been concerns about Young’s durability and on-field discipline. However, it was the “addition by subtraction” excerpt that stood out.
Was this necessary on the day of Young’s trade?
Later on Tuesday, Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle covered the trade from the 49ers’ point of view.
Young, according to several Washington coaches and other organizational sources, was viewed as an undisciplined player who developed bad habits such as deviating from assignments in an effort to make splash plays. His off-the-field priorities and commitment to his craft were often questioned, and he was viewed internally as a player who plateaued as a rookie.
Again, none of what Silver said is wrong.
But, it should be noted that Silver is close friends with Washington head coach Ron Rivera. So, when Silver said he spoke to Washington coaches, it’s not difficult to imagine that Rivera could be one of those coaches.
So, were these quotes regarding Young really necessary on the day of his trade?
Again, we’ve all heard and seen enough to believe many of these things are true. Washington’s disgust with Young began in the 2021 offseason when he chose to skip the offseason program. When Young struggled before his knee injury, this quote, directly from Young, really stood out.
When asked about missing OTAs to shoot commercials — and if that somehow has contributed to a slow start, Chase Young said, “I was making money baby. Got to make the money. None of you all would have ducked the money. It’s a job, just like you all do your job I do my job.”
— John Keim (@john_keim) November 11, 2021
For far too long, anonymous quotes trashing former players and coaches have been prevalent in Washington. Almost all of it was unnecessary, but with Daniel Snyder and Bruce Allen in charge, it was expected.
The Commanders have a new owner now. And while Josh Harris and his group had nothing to do with the negative quotes regarding Young, it’s just another example of the organization needing to get the last word.
Washington wasn’t wrong for moving on from Young. Rivera had plenty of reasons to move on. The team didn’t owe anyone an explanation. But the Commanders should’ve just wished Young well and offered “no comment” on why he was moved.
Even if everything said about Young was 100% true, was it necessary?
Tuesday’s moves are likely just the beginning of a massive overhaul for the Commanders in the offseason.