NFC North Contender Zeroes in on Commanders’ $72 Million DT

It doesn’t look like former Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen will be unemployed for very long.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler reported on March 10 that Allen was scheduled for a visit with the Minnesota Vikings to kick off the NFL’s legal tampering period in free agency.

From ESPN’s Kevin Seifert: “Free agent DT Jonathan Allen‘s visit to Minnesota, as reported by Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler, makes sense from a need standpoint. The Vikings haven’t had a classic interior disruptor in the two seasons Brian Flores has been their defensive coordinator, forcing some creative personnel usage. Allen and Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell overlapped in Washington when O’Connell was an assistant coach there.”

Allen is a 2-time Pro Bowler who has played his entire career with the Commanders, who selected him in the first round (No. 17 overall) of the 2017 NFL draft after an All-American career at Alabama. Washington released Allen on March 17 and cleared $16.35 million in salary cap space, as he was headed into the final season of the 4-year, $72 million contract extension he signed in July 2021.

The Commanders wasted little time finding a replacement for Allen, signing former San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw to a 3-year, $45 million free agent contract on March 10.

Allen Played on Terrible Teams Most of Career

It’s unfortunate for Allen that the Commanders finally became a contender almost a decade into his career, because he’s arguably been one of the NFL’s best interior defensive linemen for the last decade on some truly awful teams.

Take into account the only season before 2024 that Allen played in the postseason was in 2020, when the Commanders backed into the playoffs with a 7-9 record and lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card Round. Washington’s 12-5 record in 2024 was the first winning season with Allen on the roster.

Allen made consecutive Pro Bowls in 2021 and 2022 — a stretch in which he had 127 tackles, 16.5 sacks, 36 TFL and 47 QB hits. Allen signed a 4-year, $72 million contract extension before the 2021 season.

Commanders Seem Stacked on Interior Defensive Line

Allen’s contract and the contracts for the Commanders on the interior defensive line represent the last vestiges of the old ownership regime under Dan Snyder.

The Commanders had $162 million in contracts wrapped up in 2 defensive tackles with Allen and 2018 first round pick Daron Payne, who signed a 4-year, $90 million contract extension in March 2023. That’s an exorbitant, untenable number for any team at that position.

Now, with Payne and Kinlaw, along with second-year defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton, the Commanders seem as deep at the defensive tackle position as any team in the NFL.