Washington Commanders

Carson Wentz's time with the Indianapolis Colts lasted one season.

Indianapolis is reportedly trading the quarterback to the Washington Commanders in exchange for multiple draft picks, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Schefter reported Thursday that Washington will also receive a 2022 7th-round pick.

The Commanders are also "paying the full $28 million" due to Wentz this year, "which includes a $5 million roster bonus due next week," per Schefter.

The Colts gave up a 2021 third-round pick and what ended up being a 2022 first-round selection to acquire Wentz from the Philadelphia Eagles prior to the 2021 campaign. However, rumors about his uncertain future with the team started shortly after he was unable to lead them to the playoffs in his first year in the AFC.

In February, ESPN's Chris Mortensen (h/t Ari Meirov of Pro Football Focus) reported the 29-year-old's future with the Colts was "bleak," with some believing he will "probably" be either traded or released prior to March 19.

That date was significant because it is when his $15 million in base salary would be guaranteed.

However, Mike Sando of The Athletic reported around the same time that the Colts were "more likely to leverage Wentz's poor performance in 2021 to renegotiate his contract rather than cut him outright" in part because those around the league were unsure of his trade value.

There was a time when anyone trading Wentz would have been a surprise. The No. 2 overall pick of the 2016 NFL draft was an MVP candidate during his second season. That campaign ended when he tore his ACL, but the Eagles still won the Super Bowl with Nick Foles under center the rest of the way.

While Wentz has played well at times since then—especially in 2019—he has struggled to fully regain the form he showed prior to the injury.

He took a step back in 2020 when he threw for 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 12 games in his final year in Philadelphia, but it was fair for Colts fans to be optimistic about pairing Wentz with head coach Frank Reich, who was the his offensive coordinator when he was at his best on the Eagles.

Wentz's final numbers in 2021 were far from terrible. He completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 3,563 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. However, he and the team struggled down the stretch.

In fact, the North Dakota State product threw for more than 225 yards only once in the final eight games. He also had 10 touchdown throws during that stretch, three of which came in one game.

It capped off a roller-coaster season for the Colts, who started 1-4, got to 9-6 and appeared primed for a playoff run, and then lost the final two games to miss the postseason. The final loss was against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars, as Wentz threw a pick and lost a fumble while leading the offense to score only 11 points.

His mediocre play at the end of the year undercut a solid defense and dominant running back Jonathan Taylor, and the Colts ultimately elected to move in a different direction.

Washington can only hope Wentz rediscovers the form that once had him in MVP discussions.

Russell Wilson is headed to the Denver Broncos, but not because the Washington Commanders didn't try to land him first.

Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan reported the NFC East team offered the Seattle Seahawks a package that featured three first-round draft picks.

That comes after John Keim of ESPN reported Washington included multiple first-round picks and other selections in three different drafts in potential trade packages for Wilson. Per Keim, the Commanders also asked the Seahawks if they wanted a current player to be included but never received a counteroffer.

Alas, Seattle traded Wilson out of conference to the Broncos on Tuesday.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Denver received the star quarterback and a fourth-round pick in the deal, while the Seahawks received two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, quarterback Drew Lock, defensive end Shelby Harris and tight end Noah Fant.

Wilson going to the Broncos means it's back to the drawing board for the Commanders, who have been fairly public about their quest for a new quarterback this offseason.

Keim previously reported the team made a list of approximately 40 quarterbacks to look into this offseason, some of whom were college prospects. Ben Standig of The Athletic just reported Monday that Washington reached out to the Las Vegas Raiders and "checked in" on Derek Carr.

"We feel we have canvassed the league effectively," general manager Martin Mayhew told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "We've spoken to every club that has a quarterback who might be available."

The superstar options are apparently off the table for Washington with the Wilson trade and Rapoport reporting Aaron Rodgers is returning to the Green Bay Packers on a four-year deal.

Fortunately for the team, there are still some options. Perhaps the Commanders can trade for Carr or Jimmy Garoppolo. Perhaps they can head to free agency and add someone like Mitchell Trubisky, Marcus Mariota, Teddy Bridgewater or Jameis Winston.

Or perhaps they can look to draft someone like Desmond Ridder, Sam Howell, Kenny Pickett or Malik Willis.

The biggest surprise at this point would be Taylor Heinicke remaining the starting quarterback and opening the 2022 season under center. After all, the team has made no secret of its desire to bolster the position, and simply running it back at that point would be quite the awkward transition into a new campaign.

Wilson wasn't meant to be for the team despite its efforts, but there are still various avenues to take this offseason.

The Seattle Seahawks reportedly turned down a trade offer from the Washington Commanders for quarterback Russell Wilson.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, it was a "strong" offer, but talks "didn't go anywhere."

Rapoport added that Washington has "called essentially everywhere" in its search for a new starting quarterback.

Wilson has been the subject of trade rumors since last offseason when he gave his agent a list of teams he would accept a trade to.

Wilson's agent, Mark Rodgers, told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Wilson would accept a trade to the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders or Chicago Bears, although he didn't request a trade.

Nothing came of the trade talk and Wilson played for Seattle in 2021, but things didn't go according to plan for him or the team.

Wilson missed three games with a broken finger, marking the first games he missed in his 10-year NFL career, and the Seahawks finished with a 7-10 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

The 33-year-old veteran was still fairly productive when healthy, completing 64.8 percent of his passes for 3,113 yards, 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions while also rushing for 183 yards and two scores.

With nine Pro Bowl selections and one Super Bowl victory to his credit, Wilson is a surefire future Hall of Famer. He is also still among the best quarterbacks in the NFL, making him a logical target for a quarterback-needy team.

Washington fits the bill, as it has had no answers at the position since Kirk Cousins signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018.

After Washington made the playoffs in 2020 despite going just 7-9 and getting poor quarterback play from Alex Smith, Dwayne Haskins and Kyle Allen, the issue persisted in 2021.

Washington missed the playoffs with a 7-10 mark and Taylor Heinicke started 15 of the 17 games under center. Ryan Fitzpatrick was signed to be the starter, but he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1.

Heinicke went on to complete 65.0 percent of his passes for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions to go along with 313 yards and a score on the ground.

While Heinicke performed admirably, the Commanders clearly need a better option at quarterback, and finding one for 2022 will likely be difficult.

There may not be much available on the trade or free-agent markets, and the 2022 draft class is considered weak for quarterbacks with Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis, Matt Corral and Sam Howell being among the top options.

Wilson would immediately solve many of Washington's issues, but with the Seahawks bringing back head coach Pete Carroll and most of their key players, it appears as though they want to make at least one more run at it with Wilson at quarterback.

Ex-Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III planned to write a tell-all book entitled Surviving Washington detailing his time with the franchise (2012-2015) and providing a deep dive into the team's toxic culture.

However, those plans have reportedly been axed.

Eric Bickel of The Sports Junkies on 106.7 The Fan reported that the book is being scrapped and that Gary Myers, who planned to co-write it with Griffin, has moved on from the project.

A source told 106.7 The Fan that Griffin had "second thoughts" about writing the book, which was scheduled for an August release.

Last August, Griffin said the following in a promotional video detailing what he planned to expose (via The Sports Junkies):

I'm gonna tell you the truth about what happened in that playoff game in 2012 against Seattle. I'm gonna detail the medical mismanagement that I received during my time in Washington. I'm gonna open your eyes to the sexual harassment that permeated the walls of that building, and give you a deep dive into a power struggle between one of the most powerful coaches in all of sports and an owner that many of you want gone. They say the truth will set you free. So here it is, unfiltered. Pre-order now.

Griffin deleted the video from Twitter, and the book is no longer available for pre-order from Simon & Schuster, which planned to publish the book.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reached out to Myers and relayed that Myers "said that he has been instructed to refer all questions to Griffin and his literary agent. At the time of the PFT article's publication, the literary agent had not responded to PFT's request.

Griffin exploded onto the NFL scene in 2012 after winning a Heisman Trophy with Baylor the year before. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors en route to leading Washington to an NFC East title and an NFC Wild Card Game appearance.

RGIII accounted for 27 touchdowns (20 passing, seven rushing) and 4,015 yards (3,200 passing, 815 rushing). He was an explosive talent who looked ready to take the league by storm.

However, he suffered a torn LCL, ACL and meniscus in the playoffs, and his career was never the same. RGIII initially suffered a knee injury on Dec. 6 against the Baltimore Ravens but returned to close the regular season. He briefly left the playoff game with a knee problem but returned before suffering the aforementioned injuries.

There's controversy and different sides to what exactly went down during the playoff game, but ultimately, that was the beginning of the end of Griffin's tenure.

He was eventually benched for Kirk Cousins and cut after the 2015 season. Griffin played 18 games for the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens from 2016-20. He currently works as an ESPN analyst for college football and NFL.

The Washington Commanders will reportedly exercise the fifth-year option on defensive end Montez Sweat, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post.

According to OverTheCap, Sweat's option is projected to be worth $10.547 million for 2023.

This is a significant jump for a player who has a $3.7 million cap hit in 2022, per Spotrac. The 25-year-old has earned $9.6 million in his first three seasons combined. 

Sweat has proved to be an impact player since being selected No. 26 overall in the 2019 draft.

The defensive end has 21 sacks in 42 career games, adding seven forced fumbles. He was at his best in 2020 with nine sacks and an interception returned for a touchdown as Washington produced a top-five defense in both yards and points allowed.

The 2021 season was affected by injuries, including a fractured jaw that kept him out of action for more than a month. Sweat finished the year with five sacks in 10 games, although the defense struggled while finishing 25th in points allowed.

The Commanders will hope a healthy Sweat and Chase Young will turn things around in 2022.

The latest contract could still create salary-cap issues with several high-priced players on the defensive line alone.

Jonathan Allen agreed to a four-year, $72 million contract extension before last season, while Young has a $9.4 million cap hit in 2022. Young's cap hit will rise to $11 million in 2023 with an even more expensive fifth-year option available for 2024.

Da'Ron Payne has one more year under team control, but the team has been seeking a long-term extension for the defensive tackle, as Ron Rivera told Ben Standig of The Athletic. 

It could create some difficult decisions for the front office going forward.    

ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. tipped his hand for where he'll have Pittsburgh star Kenny Pickett landing in his next mock.

Kiper said at the 22:09 mark of the First Draft podcast Monday that Pickett "would make an awful lot of sense" for the Washington Commanders with the 11th overall pick.

Kiper also said Pickett could become a "Derek Carr-type" quarterback at the next level, with ESPN colleague Todd McShay labeling the ACC Player of the Year the "safest bet" at the position.

Pickett had a prolific final year at Pitt, throwing for 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns.

But he'll turn 24 in June and may not have the physical upside of Matt Corral, Malik Willis or Desmond Ridder. The 6'3" signal-caller ran for 801 yards over five college seasons compared to 1,338 for Corral, 2,180 for Ridder and 1,822 for Willis in two seasons at Liberty.

Listing Carr as the ceiling for an incoming rookie may not be exactly what a fanbase wants to hear, but Carr is a three-time Pro Bowler who's averaging 249.6 yards per game through the air.

That would be a massive upgrade over what the Commanders have had.

Quarterback is perhaps the most glaring need on Washington's roster. Taylor Heinicke is fine (3,419 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions) but clearly not a high-end starter.

Considering the organization's longstanding inability to develop young passers, going for the surest thing in the draft with Pickett might be the best play.

The NFL is exploring locations for the 2024 draft, and three finalists were revealed Monday.

Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy told reporters that the homes of the Packers, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders are being considered to host the event in two years.  

The team owners are reportedly expected to make a final decision at a league meeting in late March.

This year's draft will be held in Las Vegas, while next's years is set for Kansas City. The NFL draft's longtime home was New York City, but that changed in 2015 when Chicago hosted the event. The league has since brought the draft to various cities across the country.

The draft was held virtually for the first time ever in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league was able to return to some form of normalcy last year when the event was held in Cleveland. The 2021 draft was notable for its talent at the quarterback position. A signal-caller was selected with each of the top three picks, and five were taken in the first round overall.

Out of the three finalists for 2024, Washington, D.C., is the only one of have hosted the event in the past, but that was all the way back in 1941. While the draft has never been held in Green Bay, it has taken place in Wisconsin. Milwaukee hosted it in 1940.

This year's event in Las Vegas will be interesting, considering there is no consensus top prospect in the class. The Jacksonville Jaguars own the No. 1 pick and can go in a variety of different directions such as defensive end or offensive line.

Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera said a new deal for Terry McLaurin is not "imminent," but the team hopes to sign both the receiver and defensive tackle Daron Payne to new contracts, per Ben Standig of The Athletic. 

"We have a tremendous amount of interest in making sure these guys are with us going forward," Rivera said.

McLaurin is heading into the final year of his rookie contract after going in the third round of the 2018 draft. 

The 26-year-old has a $3.04 million cap hit for 2022, which ranks just 47th at his position, per Spotrac. 

There should be a significant jump in the next deal after averaging 1,030 receiving yards over his first three seasons in the NFL. His 222 career receptions ranks second among players in the 2019 class, trailing only Diontae Johnson while ahead of bigger names like DK Metcalf, A.J. Brown, Deebo Samuel and Marquise Brown.

McLaurin finished 2021 with 77 catches for 1,053 yards and five touchdowns.

The production is even more impressive considering the rotating door at quarterback for Washington over the past three years. Eight different quarterbacks have started games during this stretch, including last year's mix of Taylor Heinicke, Garrett Gilbert and Ryan Fitzpatrick.

With a projected $30.4 million worth of cap space, per Spotrac, the Commanders could secure a new deal for McLaurin while also upgrading at quarterback and other areas.   

The Washington Commanders reportedly want to begin their rebrand with a franchise quarterback at the helm.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported the Commanders are set to pursue a "big-ticket quarterback" and "won't limit themselves" in their pursuit.

Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson are among the high-profile quarterbacks facing uncertain futures heading into the 2022 offseason.

Rodgers, Wilson and Watson essentially control their own NFL futures. Wilson and Watson have no-trade clauses in their contracts, and Rodgers is a free agent after the 2022 season—and at a point in his career where he'd undoubtedly retire rather than not play for his preferred franchise.

The 22 ongoing civil lawsuits filed against Watson accusing him of sexual misconduct or assault arguably make him an impossibility from a public relations standpoint. Washington continues to deal with the fallout of an investigation into widespread workplace misconduct, and owner Dan Snyder is currently the subject of an independent probe into allegations he sexually harassed former team employee Tiffani Johnston.

Members of Congress have harshly criticized the Commanders' inability to create a safe working environment for women. Trading for Watson would only add to the myriad controversies already enveloping the organization.

Rodgers and Wilson would be welcomed back to their current teams and are likely only headed elsewhere if they request a trade. Neither seems likely to push for a deal to Washington, which has a roster that pales in comparison to both the Packers and Seahawks.

A more realistic scenario would see the Commanders acquiring a Jimmy Garoppolo-level quarterback. Garoppolo could compete with Taylor Heinicke in training camp for the starting job and give Washington someone with the pedigree of a "winner," albeit one without a winning stat line.

The team could also look to reunite with Kirk Cousins, who is heading into the final season of his deal with the Minnesota Vikings. Cousins played his first six NFL seasons in Washington before signing with the Vikings in 2018.

New Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell has said he plans to build an offense around Cousins, however, so it may be more likely the quarterback signs an extension in Minnesota than heads elsewhere.

The results of former U.S. attorney and SEC chair Mary Jo White's investigation into recent allegations against Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder reportedly will be made public.

Mark Maske of the Washington Post broke the news Friday:

The NFL has engaged Mary Jo White to conduct the league's investigation into the latest allegations against Daniel Snyder and the Commanders arising from the recent House Oversight Committee roundtable, source says.

The findings of Mary Jo White will be made public at the conclusion of her investigation and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will determine any further actions to be taken by the league, source says.

Mary Jo White is a former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former SEC chair. She previously conducted the NFL's investigation into allegations against former Panthers owner Jerry Richardson. She is now with the Debevoise & Plimpton law firm.

The NFL's reasoning on making these findings public, source says, is that the latest allegations were made in a public forum with no expectation of anonymity for witnesses.

On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee said it is looking into new documents from the NFL in regard to workplace misconduct allegations within the Washington Commanders workplace, per NPR's Jonathan Franklin.

The NFL commissioned Beth Wilkinson to conduct an investigation into previous allegations, but the NFL did not make the findings public. That led to much criticism from the House Oversight Committee as well as former employees who levied allegations against Washington team employees.

A committee spokesperson issued a statement to NPR this week:

The Committee has received additional documents from the NFL, which we are currently reviewing. We have been clear that the NFL must stop hiding the results of the Wilkinson investigation and fully comply with the Committee's requests, or the Committee will have no choice but to take further action.

The Chairs are committed to uncovering the truth about what happened within the Washington Commanders organization and how allegations were handled by the NFL in order to inform legislative efforts to make workplaces safe for everyone.

The news comes after ex-team cheerleader and marketing manager Tiffani Johnston said in a congressional roundtable earlier this month that Snyder put his hand on her thigh, pushed her toward his limousine and asked her to ride with him at a work dinner.

Per Peter Hailey of NBC Sports Washington, Johnston was one of six ex-employees who testified of misconduct. In addition, former Washington vice president of sales and customer service Jason Friedman wrote a letter to the House Oversight Committee that backed Johnston's account.

Snyder released a statement in response to the allegations against him, calling them "outright lies," per Hailey:

“I have acknowledged and apologized multiple times in the past for the misconduct which took place at the Team and the harm suffered by some of our valued employees. I apologize again today for this conduct, and fully support the people who have been victimized and have come forward to tell their stories. In response to learning about incidents like these in 2020, the Team, on its own, undertook to revamp its policies, procedures and personnel. Real change has been made and employees of the Team have confirmed the vast improvement in Team culture over the past 18 months.

While past conduct at the Team was unacceptable, the allegations leveled against me personally in today’s roundtable—many of which are well over 13 years old—are outright lies. I unequivocally deny having participated in any such conduct, at any time and with respect to any person. Tanya and I will not be distracted by those with a contrary agenda from continuing with the positive personnel and cultural changes that have been made at the Team over the past 18 months, and those that we continue to make both on and off the field.

The Wilkinson-led investigation has already led to several punishments, including a $10 million fine, and changes within the Washington organization.

Now there will be an investigation led by White. More transparency regarding the proceedings is a welcome sight, especially with so many questions about the clandestine nature of the previous findings.