It’s 5 o’clock somewhere…
The 5 o’clock club is published from time to time during the season, and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.
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Sam Cosmi
Sam Cosmi has now completed 3 seasons as an NFL player and is eligible for a contract extension. In 2024, he is slated to count $3.66m towards the salary cap.
Contact values for veteran offensive guards have exploded in 2024, even as those for centers and tackles have fallen sharply.
While Cosmi is the sort of player a front office and coaching staff should try to build around, Adam Peters may have simply decided that this is not the right offseason to extend Cosmi, though there’s a danger that 2024 isn’t an aberration, and that the cost to extend Cosmi could keep rising. It’s also possible that Cosmi, who was obviously frustrated with the coaching staff last year, wants a “prove it” year from Dan Quinn and Kliff Kingsbury before he commits to staying long-term.
Overall, the approach taken by Adam Peters this offseason tends to make me think that he won’t be committing to any big-dollar contracts with anybody before the Commanders’ 2024 season ends. He seems to want to see what will happen on the field before committing big cap dollars to anyone.
John Allen
One of the few veteran players on the team playing on a big-dollar extension is DT Jonathan Allen, who has scheduled cap hits of $21.4 and $23m in 2024 and 2025, respectively. His status for this season seems secure, but the team could save $17m in ‘25 by cutting or trading him after the end of the 2024 regular season.
Allen has been a leader on the team since being drafted, but struggled on the field in 2023, and frustration boiled over into his public comments during the season. Many fans have suggested that the team’s best move could be to trade Allen ahead of 2025 (the acquiring team would only be on the hook for $17m in cap hit for the season).