Pro Bowl DT Jonathan Allen Granted Permission To Seek Trade From Commanders

Commanders' Jonathan Allen (Image: Commanders)

Jonathan Allen, a Virginia native, spent his childhood rooting for the Washington Redskins. When he was taken 17th overall by the team in 2017, his immediate reaction was to call it a “dream come true.” Eight years later, though, as the Commanders have finally found success, Allen is simultaneously looking for possibly the last big deal of his career – and it likely won’t be coming from Washington.

Allen has compiled 42 sacks and 401 tackles since his NFL debut in 2017, including a 9.0 sack season in 2021, which earned him his first Pro Bowl. Despite an untimely injury in 2024, he was able to return before the postseason and help drive the Commanders’ postseason push.

On Tuesday, the team’s general manager, Adam Peters, announced that Allen had been granted permission to seek a trade.

Peters praised Allen in the press conference, noting that he’s “been a great player, a great person for this franchise.”

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“So, you have to weigh in everything, and we looked at internally and, ‘OK, what decision do we want to make that we think is best for the team?’ But also, you want to do what’s best for that player. So, those are tough conversations to have, but you always want to have him civilly and we have, and his agent’s been really good with us and look forward to coming to a resolution.”

The foremost issue for Washington is likely Allen’s cap hit, which clocks in at $22.3 million – the third highest number on the team – of which the Commanders would save $16.3 million with a trade or release before June 1. With a trip to the NFC Championship under their belt, the team likely wants more flexibility to build around quarterback Jayden Daniels, which a trade would provide. Washington has also focused on strengthening other components of its defensive line in the past year, extending Daron Payne and drafting Johnny Newton last offseason.

If the Commanders are able to trade Allen, they’ll likely also look at other free agency targets, such as coveted Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, who’s coming off a breakout year.

“Everything’s still on the table in terms of whether it’s trade or staying here or whatever,” Peters told media. “We’re still going through that. It’s kind of early in the stages. We haven’t done a lot of exploring yet, but that’s kind of where we’re at right now.”