{"id":64128,"date":"2025-05-25T08:08:17","date_gmt":"2025-05-25T08:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=64128"},"modified":"2025-05-25T08:08:17","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T08:08:17","slug":"blockbuster-trade-pitch-brings-commanders-projected-75-million-edge-rusher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=64128","title":{"rendered":"Blockbuster Trade Pitch Brings Commanders Projected $75 Million Edge Rusher"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-1991117322-e1748104591205.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-1991117322-e1748104591205.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-1991117322-e1748104591205.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-1991117322-e1748104591205.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Blockbuster Trade Pitch Brings Commanders Projected $75 Million Edge Rusher\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<p>Kansas City Chiefs edge rusher George Karlaftis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Judging by the fervor in which Washington Commanders fans have speculated over possible trades for Myles Garrett and Trey Hendrickson, one might come to the conclusion the Commanders really need an elite edge rusher. Which they do.<\/p>\n<p>While deals for Garrett and Hendrickson seem like pie in the sky scenarios, there might be another deal the Commanders could make for an edge rusher \u2014 and secure the position for the foreseeable future \u2014 by making a blockbuster trade for 24-year-old Kansas City City Chiefs star George Karlaftis.<\/p>\n<p>Getting Karlaftis, a 2-time Super Bowl champion, would be the equivalent of going back in time 5 years and getting Hendrickson right before his prime. Hendrickson, if you remember, played the first 4 seasons of his career with the New Orleans Saints before he signed a 4-year, $60 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals in March 2021.<\/p>\n<p>In the 4 seasons since signing with the Bengals, Hendrickson is a 4-time Pro Bowler and has 57.0 sacks, including 17.5 sacks each of the last 2 seasons.<\/p>\n<p>While the Chiefs picked up the $15.16 million fifth year extension for 2026 on Karlaftis on April 29, Bleacher Report\u2019s Alex Ballentine listed him as the team\u2019s top trade asset this offseason. That\u2019s an indication the Chiefs might not be keen on paying up for the 2022 first round pick (No. 30 overall).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn 2024, Karlaftis was that guy,\u201d ESPN\u2019s Aaron Schatz wrote on May 23 on his list of the NFL\u2019s Most Underrated Players. \u201cHe followed up a 10.5-sack season in 2023 with eight sacks last season, but his pressure total was far more impressive. Karlaftis was tied for 14th in the NFL with 44 pressures. He added 11 more pressures in three playoff games and had three sacks against the Texans in the AFC divisional round.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"c4fe585fc6ea4c4ab0a53fcef5c0b10e\">\n<div>\n<article>\n<div>\n<p>ESPN Names DE George Karlaftis as One of the League\u2019s Most Underrated Players.<\/p>\n<p>-24.5 Career Sacks<br \/>\n-4 Sacks 2025 Playoffs<br \/>\n-15 Career PDs<br \/>\n-115 TOT<br \/>\n#ChiefsKingdom<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>What Commanders Will Cough Up for Karlaftis<\/h2>\n<p>Last year\u2019s sacks leader, Dante Fowler Jr., left the Commanders for the Dallas Cowboys in free agency. Washington also didn\u2019t use any of their 5 picks in the 2025 NFL draft on an edge rusher.<\/p>\n<p>Karlaftis would give them an instant firestarter on defense, and would join a team that might just be a player away from making it to the Super Bowl after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game last season.<\/p>\n<p>Any deal for Karlaftis would have 2 levels; what the Commanders give up to get him and what they decide to pay him.<\/p>\n<p>The Commanders could start by offering up second-year offensive lineman Brandon Coleman \u2014 the Chiefs need interior offensive linemen \u2014 along with their 2026 second round pick and 2026 sixth round pick. In exchange, they would get back Karlaftis and a 2026 seventh round pick.<\/p>\n<p>While Spotrac projects the market value for Karlaftis in the range of a 3-year, $66 million contract extension, that seems a little low. In order to get ahead of the curve and avoid any future hiccups \u2014 like what\u2019s happening with the Hendrickson and the Bengals right now \u2014 the Commanders would be smart to start with a 3-year, $75 million contract extension offer for Karlaftis, with $40 million in guaranteed money and a $25 million signing bonus.<\/p>\n<p>Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Commanders are being urged to pull off a blockbuster trade for Chiefs edge rusher and 2-time Super Bowl champion George Karlaftis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":64132,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Blockbuster Trade Pitch Brings Commanders Projected $75 Million Edge Rusher - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=64128\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blockbuster Trade Pitch Brings Commanders Projected $75 Million Edge Rusher - 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