The Washington Commanders are planning to release safety Landon Collins in a move to create salary cap space, according to multiple reports on Thursday.
The news, first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, came after Collins and the Commanders failed to negotiate a restructured contract Wednesday night. The release of Collins, who was scheduled to carry a $16.1 million cap hit in 2022, will create $6.5 million in cap space for the Commanders. However, the team is still on the hook for the $9.6 million of dead cap from Collins’ deal.
Collins confirmed his departure from the team in comments made to CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson on Thursday.
“They asked me to take a pay cut. The first one was fine,” Collins told Anderson. “Then they asked me to take another one. The money changed after they signed Carson Wentz. I’ll just take my chances in free agency.”
The need to create cap space was augmented after the Commanders traded multiple Day 2 draft picks to the Colts for Wentz. Hoping the 29-year-old signal caller can rekindle the success he saw in 2017 with Philadelphia, Washington is paying all of Wentz’s $28.3 million cap hit in 2022. The Wentz trade drained much of the team’s cap space, making Collins a likely choice to become a cap casualty.
Washington signed Collins, previously a Pro Bowl safety with the Giants, to a six-year, $84 million contract in 2019. After racking up 117 tackles in 2019, the hard-hitting safety missed nine games in 2020 with a torn Achilles and four contests last year with multiple ailments, including a foot injury that forced him to miss the last three weeks of the season.
In the middle of last season, Ron Rivera altered Collins’ role, moving him from a traditional safety role to a hybrid safety/linebacker position — a switch that corresponded with improved play from the team’s struggling defense. The move, which he accepted but told reporters he wasn’t thrilled about, allowed Collins to utilize his physical skillset while also making way for Bobby McCain and Kam Curl to become every-down players at safety.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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