After finishing 9-4-1 in 1970, head coach George Allen was fired by the Rams, who finished a half-game behind the Lions for the NFC's then-only wild-card berth.
(Weren't things so much simpler when teams could miss — or make — the playoffs by a half-game?)
But it didn't take long for Allen to find another job, for on January 6, 1971, Allen was hired as not only head coach but also general manager of the then-Washington Redskins. Expounding a "win now" philosophy, Allen ruthlessly traded away the team's draft choices, mostly for aging veterans, so that Washington did not draft until the eighth round (a round that no longer even exists) in 1972 (tied for the latest initial draft selection in NFL history), not until the fifth round in 1973, not until the sixth round in either 1974 or 1975, not until the fifth round in 1976, not until the fourth round in 1977, not until the sixth round in 1978, and not until the fourth round in 1979 (only the Eagles, whose head coach and general manager over most of this period was former Allen assistant Mike McCormack, has ever even come close to these numbers).
Half a century later, the team, now known as the Commanders, appears to be following the same script.
On March 12, the Commanders acquired wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who will be 30 on January 15, for a seemingly reasonable fifth-round draft choice. But three days later, Washington traded a third- and seventh-round pick in this year's draft, plus second- and fourth-round picks in next year's draft, to the Texans for Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil plus a fourth-round pick this year.
But the best — or worst, depending on one's point of view — could be yet to come, as the Commanders are assiduously courting Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who is not a free agent, but has recorded a staggering 70 1/2 sacks so far in this decade. Suffice it to say that Hendrickson won't come cheap: Cincy's asking price is reportedly first- and second-round picks in both 2025 and 2026 — and Hendrickson will turn 31 on December 5.
If the Commanders accede to Cincinnati's demands, they will have only three draft picks this spring — the first one in the fourth round, 128th overall.
But that's the thing with making these kind of trades: they're like that old Pringle's commercial — once you pop, you can't stop!
Worse yet, there was no salary cap when Allen was around — and that, coupled with the seniority-based "wage scale" that has been effect since 2011, makes trading draft choices for has-beens all the more inadvisable.
And with Washington taking a staggering 114 percentage-point jump in strength of schedule from what they played last year, and Dallas presumably getting 17 healthy games out of Dak Prescott, the 2024 Commanders could very well prove to have been a one-year flash in the pan — all the more reason for them not to mortgage their future for quick fixes.
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