5 trade destinations for Jonathan Allen, who wants to leave Washington NOW???
Jonathan Allen dealt with the muck.
He kicked off the Washington Commanders' run of five straight seasons with a first round defensive pick in 2017. He was arguably the best of a bunch that included Montez Sweat, Daron Payne and Chase Young (decent!) as well as Jamin Davis (less so!). He was a trusted veteran under the most dysfunctional regime in the NFL, overseeing the defense through the end of Dan Snyder's disastrous ownership.
Then came the light. Josh Harris bought the team, seemingly ending an era of harassment and alienating fans. Jayden Daniels brought deliverance from the second overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, rising to offensive rookie of the year honors. The Commanders won a pair of playoff games and advanced to the NFC Conference Championship for the first time since Color Me Badd was a pop radio mainstay.
And now Allen wants out.
The eight-year veteran was reportedly granted permission to seek a trade this offseason. It's tough timing, but it makes sense. He's in the final year of a four-year, $72 million contract extension. The Commanders just had their best season despite the fact he played just eight games. Allen wants another big money deal, likely the last of his career. Washington may not want to pay that as it continues a roster makeover under Harris and Dan Quinn, the head coach hired in 2024.
Allen will be 30 years old in the 2025 season. He still has plenty to offer a team up front, though his list of suitors may not be filled with contenders. So who could want the two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle?
1. Arizona Cardinals
Arizona's rebuild is slightly ahead of schedule. Despite paying Kyler Murray top-of-the-market money, the Cardinals still have approximately $77 million to spend this offseason, creating an opportunity to jump to the top of an unsettled NFC West. Moving from Washington's 4-3 alignment to head coach Jonathan Gannon's 3-4 wouldn't be a perfect fit, but with Roy Lopez and L.J. Collier both free agents there's a massive need up front.
The Cardinals don't have a ton of draft capital put could move a conditional fourth round pick that could become a third in exchange for a stabilizing force for a team looking to make a playoff push. Arizona's 31.4 percent pressure rate ranked 26th in the NFL last season. Allen alone wouldn't fix that, but his pocket-crumpling force on the interior would make life easier for the pass rushers general manager Monti Ossenfort adds this offseason.
2. Houston Texans
The Texans are loaded with young defensive talent. Derek Stingley is a star. Jalen Pitre and Calen Bullock are electric in the middle of the field. Will Anderson had 11 sacks last season.
There's veteran help as well thanks to Danielle Hunter's continued feasting from the edge. But Houston could use reinforcements -- particularly in the middle of the line where Foley Fatukasi and Mario Edwards are both free agents. The Texans 38.4 percent pressure rate was second-best in the NFL. Adding Allen could keep it there while dialing back the number of blitzes DeMeco Ryans calls, creating more static downfield and giving those talented young defensive backs room to thrive.
3. New England Patriots
The Patriots have nearly $130 million in projected salary cap space for 2025 -- more than anyone in the NFL by a wide margin, per Over the Cap (the Commanders' $82 million is third-best. It's a strange time to be losing talent!). They also had 2024's 30th-ranked defense.
While Christian Gonzalez is a bonafide star, there are few reliable options throughout that group. That includes defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who in a perfect world would mash quarterbacks alongside Allen in a hypothetical trade but also missed most of last season due to blood clots.
Allen may not fit New England's timeline, but would likely cost little in the way of draft capital (a mid-draft selection) and could easily be absorbed into the team's cap space. He'd be a much-needed adult in the room for a team going through a youth movement. Acquiring Allen would mean dropping a reliable, above-average starter to a lineup with few of them.
4. San Francisco 49ers
With Javon Hargrave set to be designated a post-June 1 release, San Francisco has a gap up front. Maintaining a cache of effective pass rushers across the defensive line has been a hallmark of Kyle Shanahan's best teams in San Francisco. Allen, with 22 sacks and 66 quarterback hits between 2021 and 2023, would be a win-now fit for a team trying to force its Super Bowl window back open.
But adding an expensive veteran may not be a match for a team trying to shed contracts as Brock Purdy nears a lucrative contract extension. If general manager John Lynch is attempting to pull off a rolling rebuild -- cutting Hargrave, potentially trading Deebo Samuel and extending Purdy -- a 30-year-old defensive tackle could be a tough sell. Still, the Niners' pass defense backslid in 2024 thanks to a below-average pass rush. Allen could be the kind of presence San Francisco needs to stabilize after a frustrating season.
5. Green Bay Packers
Green Bay is another potential playoff foe the Commanders may be reticent to make a deal with this offseason. But the Packers would benefit from a proven tackle next to an aging Kenny Clark up front -- especially if Tedarrell Slaton (great against the run, largely a non-factor vs. the pass) leaves as a free agent this spring.
Allen's presence would keep defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who helped move Green Bay from 23rd in expected points added (EPA) allowed in 2023 to fourth last fall, from having to rely too heavily on Devonte Wyatt up front. This would allow the former first round pick to work in rotation with two Pro Bowl veterans ahead of him on the depth chart. Just as importantly, it would keep the defense that serves as Jordan Love insurance at a high level as the young(ish) quarterback struggles to find consistency as a starter.