ASHBURN, Va. — Ron Rivera and the Washington Commanders’ front office executives are weighing options before the Nov. 1 NFL trade deadline.
“We’ve been talking since last week,” Rivera said The Athletic. “About potential (scenarios), what could … and what couldn’t be.”
Those scenarios include whether the scuffling 2-4 team establishes sincere momentum in its two games before the deadline. Forward-thinking organizations, especially those not on the contender tier, discuss the pros and cons of moving talented players that generate interest from other teams or are playing on expiring contracts.
Defensive tackle Daron Payne, a 2023 free agent, checks both boxes. There is outside trade interest in the fifth-year linemen and the potential of landing a 2023 Day 2 selection, according to people with knowledge of the market for Payne who spoke on the condition of anonymity for competitive reasons.
What to do with benched and injured cornerback William Jackson and his expensive contract that runs through 2023 is a more complicated matter but one the organization is pondering.
Overriding those paths is — or should be — Rivera’s vision for this football operation. Make incremental or significant additions with the idea of contending immediately? Continue the rebuild that began when owner Dan Snyder hired Rivera for his “coach-centric” desires in 2020 by dealing away veterans for future assets? Stay pat while thinking the team has everything it needs for success?
Rivera says there is no commitment to any of these options. For now.
“We’ve had discussions about things,” Rivera said. “What the next couple of weeks (bring), we’ll see.”
Six games into his 12th season as an NFL head coach, Rivera’s primary focus is getting his team prepared and engaged for Sunday’s home contest against the Green Bay Packers (3-3) without injured starting quarterback Carson Wentz (fractured finger). Washington travels to face Indianapolis (3-2-1) on Halloween Eve, two days before the deadline.
How those results unfold may determine if Washington shelves postseason hopes for this season — and whether Rivera views the Commanders’ situation from the “win now” coaching prism or the “big picture” angle taken by front offices.
“You can’t be closed-minded,” Rivera said. “So that’s what I’m trying not to do.”
Although armed with decision-making power, Rivera leans on his experienced front office staff, headlined by general manager Martin Mayhew and senior personnel executive Marty Hurney, to shepherd in-season transactions.
“That part of (my attention) really comes at the end of the (season),” Rivera said. “This (trade deadline) part, I listen to what Martin, Marty, (senior director of player personnel) Eric (Stokes), and (Director of Pro Personnel) Chris (Polian) have to say. … Every day, their hands are in it. So, we’ll look at (scenarios), talk, and then go from there.”
Payne, 25, is trending toward his best season since Washington selected him 13th in the 2018 NFL Draft. Known for his run defense, Payne’s 3.5 sacks tied fellow DT Jonathan Allen for the team lead, and the interior tandem spearheaded a defensive turnaround over the past four games.
Despite that presence, Payne might be playing his final season with Washington. The Athletic reported in April that Washington was unlikely to offer a contract extension.
Washington may let the season play out knowing it could use the franchise tag this offseason at a projected $18.1 million per Over The Cap, or would likely receive a third-round compensatory pick if Payne signs elsewhere. Washington also spent a 2022 second-round pick on DT Phidarian Mathis.
However, those people with knowledge of the Payne market believe a 2023 second-round pick is possible trade compensation. Whether a second or third, that pick would arrive a full year before the 2024 compensatory pick if Payne leaves in free agency and would offset a 2023 Day 2 selection owed to Indianapolis from March’s Wentz trade.
The Commanders would prefer to keep Payne, but recent extensions for Allen and wide receiver Terry McLaurin and high-priced contracts for Wentz or another veteran quarterback limit salary cap room and flexibility. Defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young, out since suffering a significant injury last November, are poised for extensions over the next two years.
SACK for @94yne 💪
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— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 10, 2021
Jackson, who turns 30 next week, is battling a back injury that kept him out of last week’s win at Chicago and likely Sunday’s game after missing Wednesday’s and Thursday’s practices. The pressing matter is whether Washington wants to keep the player it signed to a three-year, $40.5 million contract in 2021.
The NFL Network reported last week that Jackson demanded a trade and hoped to join a team that uses his preferred man-to-man scheme. Jackson has since denied making the request, and Rivera declined to answer questions about the report.
However, according to league officials who requested anonymity because of the competitive nature of the matter, the Commanders have mentioned Jackson to other teams about the trade deadline. Delaying action until the offseason would mean taking a $9 million dead cap charge by releasing Jackson. The trade cost for interested teams probably means no more than a late Day 3 selection.
Rivera did not address the trade deadline outlook for any specific players The Athletic but discussed the impact of moving talent on the current season.
“It could hurt. It just depends on the position, the guy, and the backup,” Rivera said. “We have a number of young guys that we have to see if we can get on the football field. … We have to be patient.”
Although moving Payne would create a hole next to Allen — Mathis suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 1 — Washington could absorb trading another frontline player, running back Antonio Gibson.
Gibson, a 1,000-yard runner last season, remains a dynamic presence, and there are no indications the Commanders would part with the 2020 third-round pick. This is one position group where Washington could help its future draft capital without compromising immediate needs.
Washington immediately installed rookie Brian Robinson as the lead back weeks after he was shot twice. Since making his NFL regular-season debut in Week 5, Robinson out-touched Gibson 26-14. Robinson and change-of-pace option JD McKissic would form a solid 1-2 punch. Washington already uses playmaking wide receiver, Curtis Samuel, out of the backfield in spots.
Gibson is playing on a reasonable rookie contract through next season and might only net a Day 3 selection. That’s a combination of a devalued RB market and a crowded trade market with the Panthers’ dealing Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers and the Rams’ Cam Akers also possibly on the move. Gibson would offer interested teams a dual-threat back at a much lower salary and trade cost than the 49ers paid for McCaffrey.
Trading away talent for future picks may have remaining players giving the stink eye to those behind such decisions. Washington has not posted a winning record since 2016, and last season’s rally from losing six of eight games to being in the wild-card mix at 6-6 faded with injuries and a COVID outbreak. Everyone is tired of hoping for sunnier days.
To definitively punt these debates until the offseason probably requires beating the Packers and Colts. Young could return to practice soon, and Wentz’s recovery timeline is roughly four games. Otherwise, the coach and front office parts of Rivera’s brain might battle over intel provided by his people working the phones, collectively determining what this season could or could not be.
“I do want to win (now),” Rivera said. “That first year (with a new team), that’s a different set of circumstances. Last year… was rough. Now, into this season, we’ve had some unfortunate things happen. But at the same time … we’ll see in two weeks.”
(Photo: Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
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