DONE DEAL: Washington Commanders successfully trade for a $47 million superstar defensive tackle in exchange for two draft picks From the…
The Chicago Bears expect Gervon Dexter Sr. and Zacch Pickens to increase the caliber of their defensive line in 2024. If they still want a true “engine” for Matt Eberflus’ defense, few trade targets may meet that criteria like Washington Commanders great Jonathan Allen.
Allen is a two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman for the Commanders, but some have questioned whether their new executive staff has the 29-year-old on their long-term roster. Allen has two years remaining on his contract, but Washington signed teammate defensive tackle Daron Payne to a $90 million contract last offseason. They also have two second-round picks in the wings, including rookie Jer’Zhan Newton, the 36th pick in 2024.
contract restructure now that he is earning less than the market rate for high-end defensive linemen, but ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has spoken with a few league executives who are unsure whether the Commanders will “ever” give him an offer.
If that’s the case, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine thinks the Bears can give Allen a “fresh start” and has proposed a trade to bring him to Chicago. He pitched the Bears on trading a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fifth-round pick to get him.
“Allen might be better off in a situation where he’s still a featured player,” Ballentine wrote on May 24. “That would surely be the case in Chicago, where he would reunite with former Commanders teammate Montez Sweat and net a similar trade return to what the New York Giants got for Leonard Williams.”