Nick Allegretti has opened up on why he chose to leave the Kansas City Chiefs and join the Washington Commanders.
Allegretti was picked in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft and went on to win three Super Bowls with the Chiefs. But despite picking up three rings, he only started 13 times in 74 games for Kansas City. In 2023, he featured in all 17 games but only started once.
In 2020, he started nine times, but in 2019 and 2021, he didn't start at all. In 2022, he started three games. When star guard Joe Thuney got injured last season, Allegretti stepped up. He even played through an injury in Super Bowl LVIII to help the Chiefs win.
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Despite his respect for the Chiefs, Allegretti said: "I have a ton of respect for the guys in Kansas City. I enjoyed my role there, but I think I had gotten to the point in my career where I wanted to come and be a starter in Week 1. That's my goal coming to Washington."
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In a move that has hopeful fans excited, Allegretti signed a three-year contract worth $16million (£12.75m) with the Commanders. The signing marks the beginning of new coach Dan Quinn's efforts to strengthen the team's offensive line.
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Allegretti played through a torn UCL - the same injury suffered by 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy in the 2023 NFC Championship - in Super Bowl LVIII (Getty Images)The Commanders are expected to pick a quarterback as their second overall choice in the 2024 NFL Draft. USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye, LSU's Jayden Daniels and Michigan's JJ McCarthy are the quarterbacks getting everyone excited.
'This was a great opportunity," Allegretti added. "I have a ton of respect for coach Quinn and what he's been able to accomplish in his career. It looked like I had a great opportunity to come in here and compete. That's all I wanted."
Allegretti is aware that even after signing in free agency, he'll still need to fight for his position on the offensive line. His journey back into the starting lineup from a serious Super Bowl injury will be a long one. Yet he remains confident.
"I felt like a starter," Allegretti declared. "I knew that I could be a Day 1 starter, and that's what I'm here to prove."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.
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