When the Washington Commanders opened up the legal tampering period last week, they quickly targeted the offensive line. First, Washington agreed to terms with former New York Giant Nick Gates. Shortly thereafter, the Commanders agreed to a deal with former Kansas City Chief Andrew Wylie.
Thanks partly to Washington’s long-term deal with defensive tackle Daron Payne last Sunday, the Commanders freed up extra cap space for 2023. Instead of Payne playing on the franchise tag for almost $19 million, he’d only cost around $10 million next season.
Those moves led to Washington being a bit more active on the free-agent front during the early days.
We’ve viewed the terms of Jacoby Brissett and Wylie’s contracts, so let’s examine Gates’ three-year pact, courtesy of Over the Cap.
- 3 years, $16.5 million total potential value
- Salary cap charge for 2023: $3.27 million
- Percentage of salary cap for 2023: 1.4%
- Average annual value: $5.5 million
- 2023 cash payout: $6.91 million
- Fully guaranteed: $8 million
- Contract ranking among centers: No. 15 of 71
- Salary cap charge for 2023: $5.46 million
Gates is expected to begin his Washington career at center. The Commanders have Chase Roullier under contract and recently re-signed Tyler Larsen. Due to injuries to Roullier and Larsen in each of the last two seasons, Washington has been forced to start at least four centers. Those issues have led head coach Ron Rivera to build more experienced depth at the position ahead of 2023.
