The Washington Commanders have been in a holding pattern financially for much of the year due to the pending sale of the franchise from Daniel Snyder to Josh Harris.
The sale became official last month, with Harris and his partners officially taking over on July 20.
Washington took care of one of its best players in March, signing defensive tackle Daron Payne to a four-year, $90 million extension. Payne was in a different situation as he was set to play the 2023 season on the franchise tag.
The Commanders have some key free agents to deal with after the upcoming season. Defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young, safety Kamren Curl, running back Antonio Gibson and wide receiver Curtis Samuel are among Washington’s 2024 free agents.
The Commanders would like to keep most of these players, but with the salary cap, that’s likely impossible. When Rivera spoke about possible extensions for players like Sweat and Curl earlier in the offseason, he acknowledged the team was in a holding pattern due to the ownership situation.
On Saturday, Rivera was asked about his conversations with Harris.
“They’ve gone well, and they stand in a good situation,” Rivera said.
Have the two sides talked about contract extensions for some of those key players?
“Those are all things that are all part of our discussion,” Rivera said. “And again, these are things that we talk about; we’re working into. There’s a lot to do, and to assume anything’s going to happen immediately is unfair because they are still learning and understanding us, and we’re still talking with them and trying to get things lined up and in order.”
The Commanders have plenty of cap space in 2024. Certainly, some of those players will return to Washington, but could Harris wait and see what happens on the field in 2023 before agreeing to any extensions?
It would be wise for the Commanders to get in front of some of these potential deals, particularly for Sweat and Curl. It would then allow Washington the flexibility of applying the franchise tag to Young if he has a big season.