PHOENIX — For three days in the spring, NFL coaches, executives and owners convene to discuss potential rule changes, leaguewide issues and, of course, teams’ soaring confidence as they plan for another season.
There’s an open competition for the starting quarterback job. Mostly. General manager Martin Mayhew repeated Monday what he’s said for months: Second-year quarterback Sam Howell will get “every opportunity to win” the starting job, but he’ll have to earn it. And veteran Jacoby Brissett, who signed a one-year deal as free agent, will challenge him. Mayhew said he expects the two to be the Commanders’ top quarterbacks entering training camp.
But Washington may not be done shopping. The team has typically carried three quarterbacks on its active roster, and although it has its third in Jake Fromm, Rivera on Tuesday didn’t rule out the possibility of drafting a quarterback — even in the first round, where Washington owns the 16th pick.
“We have to look at every avenue and look at every opportunity,” Rivera said. “ … We want to be able to make the decision on the best player for us, the best player available. It’s kind of twofold, because the best player for us could be a different position, but the best player available may be [a quarterback]. So we’ll see.”
The Commanders never seriously considered Lamar Jackson. Their plan from the outset this offseason was to keep the quarterback cap charge relatively minimal. Doing so allowed them to re-sign Daron Payne to a four-year, $90 million contract and retain others in free agency. That’s why they didn’t seriously consider trading for Jackson earlier in the offseason or offer him a contract after the Ravens placed their nonexclusive franchise tag, worth $32.4 million, on him.
If Washington wanted to sign Jackson — he is reportedly seeking a contract comparable to the fully guaranteed $230 million deal Deshaun Watson received from the Cleveland Browns — it would also have to give up two first-round picks in exchange.
“We honestly never did [consider it],” Rivera said. “It was just something that we just didn’t feel suited what we wanted to do. I know he’s a tremendous talent. I know he’s a player that can impact your team. I just didn’t think — and we sat down and talked about it — that was the direction for us as a football team.”
Ownership uncertainty is impacting football decisions. Rivera acknowledged the potential sale was impacting football operations. Over the past four months, Rivera, Mayhew and others have repeatedly insisted the process has had zero impact on the way they’ve approached their jobs, but on Tuesday, Rivera said it factors into the decision of whether to pick up Chase Young’s fifth-year option.
“We’ve got to kind of drag our feet a little bit,” Rivera said, adding: “We don’t know what the new ownership wants. Who knows what that process may be when we get close to the May 2 deadline? So we have to kind of wait a little bit, at least close to [the deadline], before we can do something.”
Do you expect new ownership by May 2?
“I have no idea,” Rivera said.
If the Commanders pick up the option, Young would be under contract for 2024 at $17.45 million. If they don’t, Young and fellow defensive end Montez Sweat would both become free agents after the 2023 season.
Rivera said he’s discussed the options extensively with the front office. In February, Rivera suggested not picking up the option could motivate Young, like it did Payne last season, but on Tuesday, he said the decision is “about health more than anything else.” Rivera added that Young recently had another “very positive” checkup with his surgeon, James Andrews.
Rivera was asked about what it’s been like to work with such uncertainty and how it compares to the other difficult situations in Washington.
“Par for the course,” he said. “It’s what we deal with. It’s what I’ve dealt with. It’s what our organization has dealt with for the last three-and-a-half years.”
Does he feel extra pressure to perform well this season given potential new ownership?
He paused for a few seconds.
“Pressure’s what you make of it,” he said. “I’m going to do the job that I’m supposed to do, do the job that I’ve been doing. … Where we are, I feel very confident. I really do.”
The offensive line rebuild is almost complete. If the season started today, the Commanders’ starting offensive line would probably be Charles Leno Jr. at left tackle, Chris Paul or Saahdiq Charles at left guard, Nick Gates at center, Sam Cosmi at right guard and Andrew Wylie at right tackle.
Washington could still add another lineman early in the draft, shuffle positions or promote a backup. But after adding three linemen in free agency, Rivera and Mayhew said they feel comfortable with the progress of the unit that was one of the league’s worst last season.
“We have the ability to field a quality offensive line now,” Mayhew said. “Our depth is not great. It’s something that we will continue to try to look at.”
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