The new NFL league year starts next week, but the Commanders have already made three veteran cuts and added Zach Ertz on a one-year deal. Still a lot more to come, but there’s one name that will be widely discussed as a potential re-signing: safety Kamren Curl.
The Commanders didn’t use the franchise tag on Curl, and the question is whether or not Adam Peters wants to pay Curl market rate with such a strong group available – and it’s one former Commanders beat writer Michael Phillips
“They’re going to bring in a safety, and there’s a lot on the market, but I think the term of the deal is gonna be important too, because Peters is anticipating hitting on a bunch of draft picks,” Phillips said. “You look three or four years down the road, you want the money to pay them, right? So if Kam Curl is gonna get three or four years at $15 million a year, I don't think they're interested.”
And, maybe, Curl is overplaying his leverage?
“I think Kam Curl maybe overplaying his hand on what the market for him is,” Phillips said. “One of the things that confused me was, it looked like there was some hand-wringing from him and his dad on social media when they weren't franchise tagged. I mean, that's the best thing that can happen to a football player, is not getting franchise tagged! Now you can get a long-term deal, but I don't know if the market they think is going to be out there is going to be out there – and once that happens, he's definitely open to coming back to DC, you just wonder if it's not gonna happen at the numbers he thinks it would.”