Additional clues have emerged that may signal Dan Snyder’s sale of the Commanders could be nearing, according to The Athletic.
Contracts from last week for defensive tackle Daron Payne and quarterback Jacoby Brissett won’t pay significant portions of the signing bonus until May 12 — a delay that differs from the traditional approach for both the NFL and Washington franchise, per the report.
Those payments typically occur between 15 and 30 days after the transaction is completed, according to The Athletic, citing examples of wideout Terry McLaurin (28 days), defensive lineman Jonathan Allen (21 days) and offensive lineman Trent Williams (15 days).
“Relative to their prior contract precedents, it would seem that they have intentionally delayed the first installment of their signing bonuses,” one of Washington’s former front-office employees told The Athletic. “Very plausible that it’s related to the expected timeline of a sale. … I think the payout dates are fairly telling.”
The topic of Snyder possibly selling the organization has become a popular discussion point throughout the NFL, though any pending sale has featured pivots and twists since Snyder announced in November that he and his wife, Tanya, hired Bank of America Securities “to consider potential transactions.”
Snyder and the Commanders have been investigated for accusations of sexual and workplace misconduct, and in October 2022, Colts owner Jim Irsay said there might be “merit” to remove Snyder as owner of the franchise — which he purchased in 1999.
Irsay added that “I think potentially there will be” enough votes — with 24 being the threshold — to remove Snyder.
“I just believe in the workplace today, the standard that the shield stands for, in the NFL, that you have to stand for that and protect that,” Irsay said, according to The Athletic.
“I just think that once owners talk amongst each other, they’ll arrive to the right decision. My belief is that, unfortunately, I believe that that’s the road we probably need to go down, and we just need to finish the investigation. But it’s gravely concerning to me, the things that have occurred there over the last 20 years,” Irsay continued.
Just weeks later, the Bank of America Securities news was announced.
ProFootballTalk reported Friday, citing anonymous sources, that the Snyders “have cleared out of the team’s facility,” adding that the exit may have occurred in late December.
Both ProFootballTalk and The Athletic reported that the NFL league meetings in Phoenix, which run March 26-29, have been pinpointed as the most likely location for any update regarding the Commanders’ sale.