The Washington Commanders have yet to make a decision on defensive end Chase Young’s fifth-year option, head coach Ron Rivera said, per Michael Phillips of Richmond.com.
Young earned the Defensive Rookie of the Year award and a spot in the Pro Bowl in 2020. The Commanders drafted him with the second overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
“Well, what goes into that is you get an opportunity to sit down, look at his tape with our scouts, talk about the way he played, what do we see in terms of development and growth?” Rivera said. “We’re going to sit down with the doctors, with the trainers. ‘Where is he? How do you feel, is this something that is going to be long-term, hey, no worries — as long as nothing crazy happens, he’s going to be fine, it’s worth the risk?’
“We have to go through that process more so than anything else.”
To Rivera, not picking up the option meant more than a simple contract decision.
The former Carolina Panthers head coach believed that not picking up the fifth-year option could inspire the 23-year-old defensive end to return to the Commanders with an extra sense of motivation. The franchise almost did the same with defensive tackle Daron Payne, exercising his fifth-year option but not engaging in long-term contract talks with the 25-year-old tackle.
Payne is an impending free agent.
“It cost us,” Rivera said. “But it cost us in a good way, because the young man played, he did things the right way.
“He didn’t sit out, he didn’t withhold, he could have done that sit-in during training camp, but he didn’t. And because he didn’t, now we’re in that position where we have to find a way to say thank you, OK, you’ve earned it.”
Should they deny the option, it could give him the same opportunity Josh Jacobs had when he proved himself to the Oakland Raiders. Jacobs rushed for a career-high 1,653 yards and tied his career high of 12 touchdowns after his fifth-year option was denied in April. His performance put him at fifth all time on the Raiders rushing list.
