The Washington Commanders have a decision to make regarding defensive end Chase Young's fifth-year option, and head coach Ron Rivera has not given any indication that the team has made a decision either way, according to Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports.
The Commanders have until May 2, so there is still some time left to make a decision. Ron Rivera previously mentioned that they are waiting for clarity from an ownership perspective to make that decision. Rivera does not want to make a decision just to find out that the new owner would not have given the green light.
Chase Young is entering his fourth season in the NFL, and as with all first-round picks, teams have to decide on the player's fifth-year option before their third year in the league. If the Commanders decide to pick up Young's fifth-year option, he will make just under $17.5 million, according to Spotrac.
Chase Young has missed a lot of playing time in his career. He played 15 games his rookie season in 2020. In the 2021 season, he suffered a torn ACL. He played nine games that season, and only played in three games in 2022. Young was the number two overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and was viewed as a near slam dunk prospect. However, the injuries he has suffered since then makes this decision a little bit murky.
Then you take into account the ownership part of all of this. Daniel Snyder is in the process of selling the team to a group that is lead by Josh Harris. There are still some hoops to jump through to make the $6 billion sale from Daniel Snyder to the Josh Harris group official, but it seems that it will happen at some point.
Once the sale goes through, Rivera and the Commanders will be able to come to a clear decision on Young's fifth-year option.