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Much to the chagrin of Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane, running back J.D. McKissic is happy to be back with the Washington Commanders for the next two seasons.
For the first time since re-signing with Washington last week, McKissic spoke with the media about his decision to sign with the Bills, only to reverse course and remain in Washington.
“Much respect to the [Bills] organization,” McKissic said via Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “You can’t ask for a better organization to be chosen by. But I had unfinished business in Washington.”
McKissic said he was initially surprised Washington didn’t make him an offer before agreeing to terms with the Bills but chalked it up to business.
“It’s a business, and that’s the thing — you really can’t take anything personal in this business. I just sat back, and I was patient. I was ready to do whatever it took to take care of my family.”
The Commanders were certainly relieved McKissic changed his mind and returned to Washington. Whether or not one agrees with how the Commanders handled McKissic’s situation, they did nothing wrong. After all, it’s called the legal tampering period, and nothing was binding until 4:00 p.m. later on the day, McKissic changed his mind.
The more significant issue was why Washington didn’t come to McKissic with an initial offer. The team wanted to retain him, so why not make an offer before he agreed to terms with the Bills? Sure, nothing was illegal, but the Commanders do not need another reason to be hated around the NFL.
Ultimately, McKissic made it clear returning to Washington was the right decision.
“I made my decision based off where I wanted to be,” McKissic said. “Like I said, Washington is home for me. I know Buffalo is a great organization. They’re doing some great things. But I feel like we can do great things here as well, and that was my whole thing. I made my decision off where I wanted to be.”
Washington needs more players like Jonathan Allen, Logan Thomas and McKissic. All three players wanted to remain in Washington, and both sides made it happen. Fortunately for Washington, it wasn’t too late on McKissic.