Defensive ends Chase Young and Montez Sweat weren’t in attendance Tuesday for the next phase of the Commanders’ voluntary offseason workouts, a source with knowledge of the situation.
Young and Sweat are both entering the final year of their rookie-scale contracts. The pair, who are represented by the same agency, have participated in earlier sessions, a source said. Offseason workouts, commonly referred to as “OTAs,” are voluntary until teams hold mandatory minicamp, which runs June 6-8 for Washington.
Last month, the Commanders declined Young’s fifth-year option that would have guaranteed him nearly $17 million in 2024. Instead, Young is now set to become a free agent at the end of next season barring a new contract. The team made the decision in part because of Young’s injury history and lack of production — Young suffered a serious knee injury in 2021 and has only 1 1/2 sacks in the last two seasons.
“For the most part it was the football decision that we made,” Rivera said of declining Young’s fifth-year option. “And for the most part, it’s one of those things that we want to take care of our own. We want to go out and we want ‘em to play well. And if that’s what happens, then we have a really good problem to have and it’s something that we’ll have to work through once we know where everything is.”
Veteran left tackle Charles Leno also missed the session, a source said.
Tuesday marked the beginning of the next phase of offseason workouts. Though no live contact is permitted, teams can hold 7-on-7, 9-on-9 and 11-on-11 drills.
In 2021, Young’s absence from offseason workouts created a stir when he missed the sessions to film commercials and work out on his own in Los Angeles. Amid a slow start to that season, Young defended the decision to skip the workouts by telling reporters, “I was making money, baby.” Last year, Young missed a portion of the workouts to rehab his knee at a facility in Colorado, but was in attendance for most of the sessions.
As for Sweat, the defensive end is coming off a bounce-back season in which he had eight sacks, 28 quarterback hits and 14 tackles for loss in 17 games.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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