Defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis had been with the Washington Commanders since being drafted in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft. Ioannidis’ time in Washington ended Wednesday when the team released him, along with guard Ereck Flowers in a pair of surprising cuts.
While the release of Flowers was a big surprise, considering Washington lost Brandon Scherff to free agency. Flowers, 27, played well in his return to Washington last season and was scheduled to count almost $10 million against the 2022 salary cap. However, Flowers seemed more of a candidate for an extension rather than an outright release.
The release of Ioannidis wasn’t a total shock, as we’d discussed him as a possible cut when discussing ways the Commanders could create more cap room. However, the timing was curious. Why release Ioannidis just hours before the new NFL league year? Why not release him before, allowing him a better chance at finding a new team before the start of free agency?
Ioannidis’ agent, Alan Herman, and fellow agent Jared Fox said they met with Washington senior vice president of football administration Rob Rogers at the NFL combine and asked if Ioannidis was in the team’s plans for 2022. Herman insisted Rogers told him Ioannidis was indeed in Washington’s plans.
He wasn’t happy. Here is his full response, per Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press:
They looked us straight in the eye, Rob Rogers, and Rob basically said to Jared and myself: ‘Absolutely not. We have no thoughts of releasing Matt Ioannidis.’ We don’t particularly care to be lied to to our face. I don’t like when someone lies to my face. They took him out of the free-agent market now for two days. That puts us now at a disadvantage because other teams have paid other defensive linemen contracts, and (Ioannidis) hasn’t been able to take advantage of that. That’s not the way you conduct business in the National Football League.
It’s an understandable point of view from Ioannidis’ representatives. There are multiple reasons as to why Washington should’ve made this move before Wednesday. Yes, things change, but the Commanders should have known this was a possibility as soon as they traded for quarterback Carson Wentz.
Still, this is not a good look for Washington.