Adam Peters has the NFL watching as Commanders prepare something big
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, people around the league are expecting the Commanders to be aggressive. The senior insider even revealed that this could be Peters’ busiest offseason since taking charge. Considering how he completely gutted the roster during his first recruitment period, this is quite a statement.
“The pulse inside the league is that this year could be Washington’s most active offseason of the Adam Peters era that began in 2024. Washington has a roster with holes, nearly $90 million in cap space and star quarterback Jayden Daniels on a rookie deal. So, while the Commanders might not spend big on every position, they will be a presence.”
Fowler is one of the best and most well-connected insiders around. If this is the chatter in NFL circles, it suggests that Peters will turn over every stone and go on the front foot to put the Commanders in a more profitable position.
There is a lot of money to spend, but the Commanders also have a plethora of needs to fill. The defense needs a complete overhaul to put Daronte Jones’ grand plans into action. All three levels need quality acquisitions, given that this was the league’s worst unit by a considerable margin in 2025.
Washington also needs to provide firepower for quarterback Jayden Daniels at wide receiver and tight end. The Commanders are closely linked to several veteran running backs, including Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III. There are also questions along the offensive line, with starting left guard Chris Paul testing the market and center Tyler Biadasz already released.
There is a lot to get through. Peters won’t be sitting on his hands, but Washington remains a relatively attractive destination. They have grand plans for the future. They also have Daniels under center, who’ll be striving with everything he has to stay healthy and silence his doubters next season.
The time to attack is upon Peters. Fans should expect rapid developments and major statements of intent from the Commanders.
What if Marcus Mariota does not re-sign with the Commanders?
* MALIK WILLIS: Isn’t it most likely that Willis gets offers to be paid as a starter? So Willis coming to Washington is not happening.
* KYLER MURRAY: Well, perhaps, but don’t you hope he might prefer the David Blough playbook over Kliff Kingsbury’s? Perhaps Murray has matured to the point of admitting an NFL quarterback has to study during the week?
* TUA TAGOVAILOA: The Dolphins are so upside-down with Tagovailoa. They absolutely owe him much more than they believe they could ever get out of him. What NFL GM would take on that contract in a trade? So look for him to be released and only be offered backup opportunities.
* KIRK COUSINS: Would Cousins be willing to sign somewhere as strictly the backup? He is 37 now, but some contender would love to sign him to be their backup. Would the Colts or Chiefs be interested in Cousins being a fill-in starter until Daniel Jones and Patrick Mahomes are recovered from their late season injuries requiring surgery?
* GENO SMITH: His opportunities of being paid as a starter appear to be in the past. He is going to have to settle for opportunities to be the backup.
* JOE FLACCO: Yes, I know he is 41. But are you suggesting he is not a better option than than Sam Hartman or Josh Johnson?
* RUSSELL WILSON: Perhaps as he has aged/matured, and is now a better locker room teammate than he was in previous stops?
Remember, the Commanders are not going to sign any quarterback to a contract to compete for the starting job. We are simply asking, if Mariota determines to sign elsewhere, to whom do Dan Quinn and Adam Peters turn to serve as their backup quarterback?
Five more who did not make our short list: Jimmy Garoppolo, Mitchell Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Gardinar Minshew, and Sam Ehlinger. That’s not an encouraging group to pick from if you’re the Commanders.
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Washington faces heightened urgency to build a contender around quarterback Jayden Daniels, which means when the NFL’s legal tampering window begins Monday at noon ET (and when new deals can be officially signed starting Wednesday at 4 p.m.), the Commanders should be spenders.
The previous two years may not provide much of a guide. The Commanders’ focus has shifted since Peters gutted the roster in 2024 and then re-signed many of Washington’s own (older) veterans to one-year deals in 2025.
This year, the priority is to build the foundation by signing some younger players, especially those coming off their first NFL contracts, to longer deals, according to one person with direct knowledge of the Commanders’ approach.
The Commanders need to add speed across the board, provide more playmakers around Daniels and rebuild a defense that has lagged for years. Luckily for them, they have the means to accomplish this.
Washington’s receiving corps was decimated by injuries last season, and their most frequently available option, Deebo Samuel, is now headed for free agency. The Commanders need a No. 2 behind Terry McLaurin, and they need to add speed. Enter Shaheed, an undrafted receiver out of Weber State who now has a pair of Pro Bowl nods and a Super Bowl ring.
Shaheed was probably going to have a healthy market after his run with the New Orleans Saints, but he bolstered his stock even more after he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks last season and proved to be one of the best acquisitions at the deadline. In Washington, he’d provide another deep threat who could double as their ace returner. (Counting the playoffs, he returned three kicks for touchdowns in 12 games with the Seahawks.)
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After shifting from starter to rotational piece under head coach Mike McDonald, Mafe still appeared in every game where he posted just two sacks and 31 total tackles. Mafe became a household name across the league after registering nine sacks in 2023 then six in 2024. But he was efficient when on the field as his 18.7% pass rush win rate ranked eighth among edge rushers and his 11.4% pressure rate ranked 17th. He’ll turn 28 midseason, joining the rest as younger options who add disruption to a Commanders front seven that lacked exactly that. ESPN projected a three year, $48 million deal with $25 million guaranteed.
What to Expect from Washington Commanders in Free Agency
Of course, Washington still enters free agency with one of the biggest questions still unanswered with Laremy Tunsil still expected to receive a contract extension, which could end up creating slightly more cap space this offseason depending how it ends up getting structured. While the expectation remains the two sides finalize his contract ahead of 2026, it remains a question for general manager Adam Peters to officially cross off heading into the rest of March.
It will be an active offseason for Washington with Monday at noon marking the first chance for general manager Adam Peters and the front office able to start making moves in the open market to begin filling the long list of roster holes.
Commanders’ Laremy Tunsil hinting at big news ahead of free agency?
The legal negotiating period for NFL free agency opens at Noon ET on Monday. Free agents are eligible to begin negotiating with other teams, but cannot sign contracts until Wednesday, when the new NFL league year begins.
This deadline isn’t a concern for Tunsil or the Commanders. That’s because he has one year remaining on his current contract. Tunsil has a base salary of $20.9 million for 2026 with a cap number of $24.9 million, via Over the Cap. But make no mistake, Tunsil wants a deal done.
Tunsil was in the Washington area for a Wizards game recently. What did that mean? Maybe nothing. However, on Sunday, Tunsil was busy on his Instagram page, posting several images and videos of himself in a Commanders’ uniform from last season.
It could mean that Tunsil is confident that a new deal with Washington is close. Otherwise, why the series of posts? Peters maintained optimism that a new deal with Tunsil will not drag on like the Terry McLaurin situation in 2025.
Rashawn Slater became the highest-paid offensive tackle in NFL history last season with a four-year extension worth $114 million, with $92 million in guaranteed money. While Slater is younger than Tunsil, the five-time Pro Bowler is expected to average around $30 million annually on his next deal.
The Commanders acquired Tunsil and a fourth-round pick from the Houston Texans last offseason for picks in the second (2026), third (2025) and fourth rounds (2026). Tunsil was phenomenal in his first season in Washington and the expectation is a deal will get done sooner rather than later.
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