USAT: Washington Wire audio clip

USAT: Washington Wire

Feb 24, 2022

The Washington Commanders are in pursuit of a quarterback. Whether it’s via trade, free agency, or the 2022 NFL draft, Washington will have a new passer under center next season. - While a quarterback is Washington’s top priority — as it should be — there are still plenty of other items left on the offseason to-do list. One of those things is for the Commanders to keep some of its young players around beyond their first contract. - Wide receiver Terry McLaurin is eligible for a contract extension. A third-round pick in 2019, McLaurin has proven to be one of the best wide receivers in the NFL and is a priority for head coach Ron Rivera and the Commanders. Most impressive are the numbers McLaurin has put up despite playing with multiple quarterbacks in each season of his young career. - The fourth-year wideout has gone over 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons. - Another player who Washington could look to lock up for the foreseeable future is defensive tackle Daron Payne. Payne is entering year five and is playing on the fifth-year option in 2022. - Head coach Ron Rivera spoke to Ben Standig of The Athletic recently and made it clear he hopes to keep those two around. - “We have a tremendous amount of interest in making sure these guys are with us going forward,” Rivera said. - Rivera did note that a deal with either player wasn’t close, but he hopes to open dialogue at the NFL combine, which begins on March 1. - Washington would love to extend Payne, but after signing Jonathan Allen to a lucrative four-year extension last summer, keeping him may be difficult. Washington must consider defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young and their potential contracts in the next two years. - Can Washington afford to hand out big contracts to four defensive linemen? Not likely. If Sweat and Young progress into the players most believe they will be, you pay the edge-rushers over the interior defender. - Is Payne a good player? Yes, of course. But Washington could possibly include Payne in a trade package this offseason and look to keep unrestricted free agent Tim Settle around. Don’t be surprised if the Commanders also draft an interior defensive lineman in the middle rounds of April’s draft for depth. - It will be interesting to follow which Washington players sign extensions this offseason. - - - - - - - - - - - - Email - - - - - Sign up - - - - - - - - Like this article? - Sign up for the Washington Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning - - - - An error has occured - - - Please re-enter your email address. - - - - - - Thanks for signing up! - - - You'll now receive the top Washington Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

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