Commanders Urged to Trade $24 Million Super Bowl Champion OT After First Round Pick

The Washington Commanders went 12-5 with a patchwork offensive line protecting a rookie quarterback in 2024.

It makes one wonder what the Commanders might look like in 2025 with an experienced quarterback in Jayden Daniels and an offensive line that has been completely retooled — and intensely upgraded — after the Commanders spent their first round pick (No. 29 overall) on Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. 

The Athletic’s Ben Standig suggests the Commanders may have improved their offensive line to the point there are now some expendable parts, which could mean trading veteran offensive tackle Andrew Wylie.

Wylie is in the final season of the 3-year, $24 million contract he signed in March 2023 and started 14 games at right offensive tackle in 2024. Second-year offensive tackle Brandon Coleman started 12 games at left offensive tackle in 2024 but that spot now belongs to 5-time Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil, who was acquired via a trade.

That means either Coleman or Conerly will likely start at right guard to open the season as Sam Cosmi recovers from a torn ACL, and the other will be kicked out to right offensive tackle.

That means Wylie, a 2-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, could be the odd man out.

“The wonder is whether Coleman could serve as Sam Cosmi’s replacement while the right guard recovers from ACL surgery that likely keeps him sidelined at least through training camp, or he challenges left guard Nick Allegretti for the starting role,” Standig wrote on April 24. “Two-year right tackle starter Andrew Wylie is already figured to be in the guard mix after the Tunsil trade. It’s possible the solid lineman becomes available for trade.”

Wylie Already in Crosshairs as Salary Cap Casualty

Bleacher Report put Wylie on its list of players who could be salary cap casualties following the Commanders’ loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.

Wylie started 29 out of a possible 34 regular season games over the last 2 seasons.

From Bleacher Report: “The Commanders’ decision to give Andrew Wylie a three-year, $24 million deal back in 2023 raised some eyebrows. It’s a decent contract to give someone who was mostly a starter at guard for the Chiefs. However, he’s mostly held up his end of the bargain … The Commanders also have a ton of cash and the resources to potentially upgrade the position. If they find that opportunity, then the $7.8 million they could save by cutting Wylie could be appealing.”

Determining Wylie’s Value to Another Team

Wylie, who will turn 31 years old in August, could be an attractive trade target for another team because of his experience.

The 6-foot-6, 309-pound Eastern Michigan product went undrafted in 2017 and spent that season on the practice squad for 4 different teams before catching on with the Chiefs at the single greatest time to do so in the franchise’s almost 70-year history.

In 6 seasons with the Chiefs, Wylie played in the AFC Championship Game 5 times and played in the Super Bowl 3 times, winning following the 2019 and 2022 seasons. He was a full-time starter from 2018 to 2022, including starting all 17 games for the only time in his career in 2022.