While the Washington Commanders made what could potentially be a pair of game-changing moves with trades for wide receiver Deebo Samuel and left offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, it’s another offseason decision that has overshadowed all of their efforts to this point — and not in a good way.
The rationale behind signing free agent defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw to a 3-year, $45 million contract continues to be brought into question by pundits almost across the board. Over the Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald gave the Commanders an “F” grade for the Kinlaw deal, which includes $30 million in guaranteed money.
“Most contracts in the NFL have some level of justification…this does not,” Fitzgerald wrote. “The Jets signing Kinlaw at $7.5M was a bad one last year and this just blows that away. 3 years, $45 million with $30 million full at signing. Insane. Teams that do stuff like this because they have cap room often wind up a mess in a year or two because the cap room is gone and they wonder why they have some of these contracts on the books. On paper this is the worst signing of the early free agency period.”
Commanders May Have Grossly Overpaid for Kinlaw
Fitzgeral wasn’t the only one left scratching his head over the signing of Kinlaw, who represents a considerable downgrade in terms of performance from departed 2-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, who signed a 3-year, $60 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings — although it’s not much of a savings in terms of finances.
Kinlaw was a first round pick (No. 14 overall) by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2020 NFL draft and after playing 14 games as a rookie only played 10 games, total, over the next 2 seasons due to injuries and didn’t play all 17 games until his fourth season in 2023.
In his lone season with the New York Jets in 2024, Kinlaw had his version of a breakout season by starting all 17 games for the first time with career highs of 40 tackles and 4.5 sacks — still not numbers that jump off the page.
“I’m going to go with another very busy team this offseason … I’m going to go with the Commanders as my second loser,” The Ringer’s Steven Ruiz said on The Ringer NFL Show Podcast. ” … Javon Kinlaw, I think, was the biggest shock deal early on. Three years, $45 million for a player that has largely been forgotten since his days in San Francisco … Kinlaw was a free agent last year and signed a 1-year, $7 million contract and had 2 1/2 sacks in 12 games. He wasn’t even on my radar as a Top 50 free agent.”
Kinlaw Has Deep Ties to D.C. Area
One thing that’s been lost in all of the criticism of Kinlaw and the Commanders over his contract is the fact that it’s a homecoming of sorts.
Kinlaw and his family immigrated from Trinidad and Tobago to the D.C. area when he was a child before moving to South Carolina, where he starred in high school and college for the University of South Carolina. Kinlaw grew up a Commanders fan.
“For me to be able to be on this team now is a full-circle moment for me,” Kinlaw told Sports Illustrated’s Joanne Coley on March 15. “I’m blessed and highly favored to be here.”
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