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Offseason In Review: Washington Commanders

September 5th, 2025 at 5:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Making one of the more stunning conference championship game journeys in NFL history, the Commanders altered their trajectory in the first year of the Adam Peters–Dan Quinn regime. Although early-career QB promise has fooled this franchise in the past, Jayden Daniels looks to have solved one of the NFL’s longeststanding position issues. The 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year gives Washington hope, as evidenced by the team’s (convincing) upset win over the No. 1-seeded Lions in the divisional round.

Sustaining that promise will not be easy, but the Commanders went to work on filling their roster with veteran talent to complement Daniels’ rookie contract. This formula has paid off big for teams in the rookie-scale contract era, and the Commanders will take their swing. Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel are in the nation’s capital to help, and the Daniels-centered roster is now flanked by a host of experienced veterans.

Extensions and restructures:

Washington has been unable to find a viable McLaurin sidekick, striking out in free agency and on first-round pick Jahan Dotson. McLaurin, however, continued to produce regardless of the overmatched quarterbacks the franchise trotted out from 2019-23. Regardless of the value displayed during his career, McLaurin ran into some obstacles with Adam Peters embroiled in his first major extension talks as GM.

Upon drafting Daniels, the Commanders continued to lean on McLaurin, who continued his run of durability and delivered another solid season. McLaurin’s 1,096 yards were not a career high; his 13 touchdown catches were. And he added three more scores in the playoffs, cementing a second extension candidacy.

Entering the offseason tied to his 2022 deal, McLaurin also approaches an age-30 season — which became a point of contention during a long-running set of negotiations. While fellow 2019 Day 2 wideouts A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf had third contracts in place, both players are two years younger than McLaurin. The Ohio State product being Washington’s top weapon throughout his career counted for plenty, but this became a difficult negotiation. Drafted during the Bruce Allen regime’s final offseason, McLaurin ran into trouble convincing the Peters-led front office of his value this year.

In the Amari Cooper boat as a perennial 1,000-yard receiver but one never especially close to the league lead, McLaurin carries a bit more of an alibi due to the likes of Taylor Heinicke, Dwayne Haskins and Sam Howell being his primary passers. With Case Keenum and Carson Wentz sprinkled in, McLaurin doing enough to assemble a five-season streak of that sort is impressive. And Metcalf was less consistent despite having better QB play in Seattle. Still, this Commanders regime held McLaurin’s age against him.

Not reporting to OTAs or minicamp, McLaurin soon expressed frustration about the tenor of his second round of extension talks. The Commanders were surprised by how difficult the talks were proving to be, but the receiver market had shifted considerably over the past two offseasons.

Washington’s Ron Rivera–Martin Mayhew brass extended McLaurin — on a three-year, $69.6MM deal — during the 2022 WR market boom, but that deal preceded those given to Metcalf and Deebo Samuel. With Garrett Wilson‘s Jets accord moving the $30MM-per-year WR club to nine, it is unsurprising the top Washington pass catcher wanted in. Despite McLaurin’s importance to the team, the Commanders preferred his deal land south of that point.

McLaurin held out before quickly reporting to camp and shifting to an injury-based hold-in. A July 31 trade request emerged, and the Patriots — as they have been with just about every potentially available wideout over the past two years — were interested. Even after the Commanders activated the seventh-year veteran from their active/PUP list, he was not doing team drills. Unlike Micah Parsons or even Trey Hendrickson, no real possibility existed of a Commanders trade. But a future in which McLaurin played out his 2022 extension — ahead of a possible 2026 franchise tag — was in play.

Finding a compromise at $29MM per year, the sides agreed to terms on a deal that placed McLaurin 10th in receiver AAV. This landed him south of where Wilson and Metcalf settled this offseason but above the Tee Higgins and Jaylen Waddle WR2 deals. The Commanders guaranteed McLaurin’s compensation through 2026, but an out is in place by March 2027. On April 1, 2027, McLaurin will see $5.35MM of his $23.3MM 2027 base salary become guaranteed, per Spotrac. There are $2.05MM in incentives in each year of the deal.

After two seasons as a starter, Wylie accepted a reduction in the final year of his contract. Given a three-year, $24MM deal to follow ex-Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy to Washington in 2023, Wylie started 29 Commanders games since. Wylie’s guard past in Kansas City is expected to come in handy early, with Sam Cosmi out to open the season, but the 2024 extension recipient’s return will bump the veteran to the bench.

Trades:

The Commanders’ tackle equation changed significantly this offseason, leading Wylie and primary 2024 left guard starter Nick Allegretti to the bench (once Cosmi recovers). Step one in that process involved another Tunsil trade. The Texans had extended Tunsil twice during his six-season stay but were not ready to discuss a third contract. Nearly six years after Houston gave up two first-round picks in a megadeal with Miami, Tunsil still fetched four draft choices to change teams.

While the Texans did not field a good offensive line in 2024, Tunsil was their most talented option. The team unloaded the Pro Bowl mainstay anyway, shaking things up ahead of C.J. Stroud‘s third season. They found another team with a rookie-deal QB to take the 10th-year veteran, and the final two years on Tunsil’s contract overlap with Jayden Daniels‘ two remaining rookie-pact seasons.

If Washington does not extend Tunsil — and no substantial talks have occurred — the overlap with Daniels’ rookie deal represents nice balance. Tunsil, 31, has proven a shrewd negotiator. If no talks take place early next offseason, drama should be expected.

Tunsil has played at least 14 games in eight of his nine seasons, only missing significant time during a woeful 2021 Texans season. He suited up for every Houston contest last year, ranking 10th among tackles in pass block win rate. Pro Football Focus viewed Tunsil as a top-20 tackle in each of his past two seasons. He will provide the Commanders with a considerable upgrade from Coleman and Cornelius Lucas.

As a result of the trade, Coleman shifted away from left tackle but is on track to take over at left guard. The 2024 third-round pick is in front of Allegretti, another ex-Chief. Allegretti and Wylie are likely to be experienced bench cogs once Cosmi returns from his ACL tear.

Two seasons remain on Allegretti’s three-year, $16MM accord, while Coleman has three years remaining on his rookie deal. Coleman (12 rookie-year starts) was mentioned as a right tackle candidate ahead of the Josh Conerly Jr. draft choice before sliding into the guard mix. Coleman started eight games at guard for TCU in 2021, a period that should help his transition.

Prior to the costlier Tunsil trade, the Commanders turned to Peters’ former team for a long-overdue McLaurin wingman. Samuel will attempt to reignite his career in Washington, as the versatile playmaker could not live up to his 49ers contract. Piggybacking on McLaurin’s 2022 terms, Samuel signed a three-year, $71.55MM extension weeks later that summer. The former second-round pick was coming off a first-team All-Pro season. Unfortunately for Samuel and the 49ers, he has not approached that 2021 showing since.

Still a valuable piece in Brock Purdy‘s four-All-Pro skill-position fleet, Samuel had a productive year in 2023 (892 receiving yards, 225 rushing yards, 12 total TDs). And he has only missed three games due to injury over the past two seasons. In 2024, however, Samuel only totaled 670 receiving yards and saw his yards per carry — a stat pretty much applicable to only one active NFL wideout — drop from 6.1 in 2023 to 3.2 in ’24.

Samuel derives part of his value from the “wide back” job description, but 202 career carries (plus 52 more playoff totes) may make him — in boxing parlance — an old 29. He is undoubtedly an upgrade on what Washington was deploying opposite McLaurin last season, and Kliff Kingsbury should have some good concepts ready for usage following this trade. But this was effectively a 49ers salary dump.

The Broncos and Texans showed interest, but neither team made an offer. The Commanders had been mentioned as a Cooper Kupp suitor via trade, but they had already pulled the trigger on Samuel when the Rams cut him.

Although Samuel saw his new team fully guarantee his 2025 compensation ($17MM) in a summer transaction, that was a misleading gesture due to the WR/RB’s vested-veteran status requiring that amount become guaranteed in early September. Samuel is still in a contract year, and this season figures to determine if another lucrative multiyear deal will be in play for the 2019 second-round pick. If the Commanders do not re-sign Samuel by the 2026 league year, they will be hit with $12.34MM in dead money due to void years.

Washington and San Francisco reconnected months later. After shopping Robinson in August, the Commanders found a taker. Considering Christian McCaffrey‘s injury history and Jordan Mason‘s departure (via trade) for Minnesota, San Francisco made sense as a destination. A Rivera-Mayhew investment, Robinson had fallen out of favor in Washington. The Commanders considered trading their starting running back in 2024 and moved on in the third-rounder’s contract year.

More grinder than elusive ballcarrier, Robinson complemented Austin Ekeler last season. He produced 799 rushing yards and eight TDs despite missing three games, but Ekeler’s arrival cut into his pass-game usage. Robinson will become a vital McCaffrey fantasy handcuff (for those who participate) and should generate 2026 free agency interest.

The Commanders are turning to Chris Rodriguez, Jeremy McNichols and intriguing seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The latter profiles as the most logical Ekeler complement. If “Bill” does not live up to the form he showed during training camp, the Commanders would make sense as a team that shops for a back before the November trade deadline.

Free agency additions:

This Commanders free agency class certainly skewed older. Six of the outside free agents who landed on the active roster are north of 30; that list will expand to eight by New Year’s, with Harris and Martin’s 30th birthdays coming in December. The top contract went to a 20-something, at least, though Kinlaw commanded a somewhat surprising guarantee figure given his injury past.

Adam Peters was the 49ers’ VP of player personnel when they drafted Kinlaw in the 2020 first round. The South Carolina defensive tackle became DeForest Buckner‘s replacement, being drafted with the selection that came from the Colts in that 2020 trade. Kinlaw never resembled Buckner in San Francisco and was relegated to backup status in his final 49ers season. Kinlaw missed 24 games from 2021-22, and while he has not missed a contest since, unremarkable numbers are on his resume.

Battling knee issues in college, Kinlaw suffered an ACL tear in 2021. He barely saw the field in 2022 due to knee trouble. Despite a surprising 17-game 2023 season, Kinlaw still settled for a one-year, $7.25MM Jets deal to reunite with Robert Saleh.

Another 49ers connection led to one of this free agency period’s most surprising deals, and the Commanders will run him out — after a 4.5-sack Jets season spent as a full-time starter — as a first-stringer. Kinlaw has yet to eclipse six QB hits or five sacks in a season, though working alongside Daron Payne will help his cause.

The Wise and Martin signings did not exactly move the needle regarding the apparent defensive end need the team carried for most of the offseason. Miller, 36, may not solve it at this point in his career, either. But the future Hall of Famer does stand to help in a rotational role.

Miller is now nearly three years removed from his second ACL tear, an injury that sidetracked his Bills tenure. After a woeful 2023 season (zero sacks), Miller quietly reached six sacks as a Buffalo backup in a 13-game 2024. After his Bills release, Miller preferred to land with another ascending quarterback, indicating Daniels’ presence provided a major influence.

Commanding two $100MM contracts — with the Broncos and Bills, respectively — Miller dominated in Super Bowl 50 en route to MVP honors and helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI six years later. He showed that form in Buffalo before his 2022 ACL tear, but the 15th-year star is squarely in his rotational-rusher period. Many aging pass rushers have been effective contributors in this role, but with Dorance Armstrong perhaps underqualified as an A-side DE presence, the Commanders will probably be on the hunt for more help before the deadline.

The Commanders showed these cards early by pursuing Joey Bosa (who replaced Miller in Buffalo), Trey Hendrickson and ex-Dan Quinn Dallas charge DeMarcus Lawrence in free agency. With Jonathan Allen gone too, the Commanders appear at least a man down up front. Combining for 17 sacks since 2022, Wise is no slouch in this department. The complementary Patriots rusher has been a solid pressure artist for most of his career, notching 11 QB hits in four seasons despite rarely working as a full-time starter.

Moving on from Wise, Jones, center David Andrews and long snapper Joe Cardona, the Patriots ditched all their remaining Super Bowl holdovers this offseason. Jones, 32 this month, made his early-career mark in the slot before transitioning to more of an outside role during Bill Belichick‘s final seasons. That versatility should serve the Commanders well, even with Jones one of the NFL’s oldest active corners. He could not beat out second-round pick Trey Amos for a starting job, but having an experienced backup with extensive experience in both CB roles should still help.

The Colts dropped Gay two years into a big-ticket (for kickers) free agency deal. Washington used four kickers (Zane Gonzalez, Austin Seibert, Greg Joseph, Cade York) last season. The team re-signed Gonzalez after he finished the year as the kicking option but moved on in signing Gay.

Gay (now 31) missed eight field goals in 2023 and was 31-for-37 last season; all six of those misses came from beyond 50 yards. He did connect on at least 93% of his FG attempts in 2021 and ’22, but his Washington terms are a fraction of his 2023 Indianapolis pact (four years, $22.5MM).

Re-signings:

Wagner, Mariota, Ertz, Bellore, Way and Scott are over 30; Brown and McNichols will be 30 by season’s end. The Commanders have 17 players at least 29 or older, and their average age (28.09) going into the season makes them the league’s oldest team. Two of their aging defenders, though, will be first-ballot Hall of Famers.

Miller and Wagner on one defense will be interesting to see; the latter is in better late-career form. Reaching Meryl Streep-level status with All-Pro voters and PFF, Wagner now has a staggering 11 All-Pros on his resume. Wagner’s first-team count stopped after the 2020 season, but into his mid-30s, he has strung together four more second-team accolades.

These honors make Wagner one of the most decorated defenders in NFL history. Only Hall of Famers Joe Schmidt, Ray Lewis and Mike Singletary have earned more first-team All-Pro honors among off-ball ‘backers than Wagner’s six. The ex-Seahawks and Rams dynamo has each beat in terms of total All-Pro honors.

Wagner, 35, racked up 132 tackles (10 for loss) last season and ranked as PFF’s No. 3 off-ball LB. Reuniting with Dan Quinn after nine years apart, Wagner became an important piece of the HC’s first Commanders defense. Plenty of outside hires this year are in Wagner’s age bracket; Millennial references will not be lost in this locker room. But this is the best-performing one of the lot. Wagner earned a raise for his 2024 work as well, having played for $6.5MM last season.

The Commanders are running it back at tight end, keeping their top receiving option (Ertz) and blocking presence (Bates). Going into an age-35 season, Ertz did not appear to have a big market. But with no consistent WR2 presence emerging alongside McLaurin, Ertz had his best season since 2021. Working with Kingsbury a second time, the ex-Eagles and Cardinals pass catcher tallied 654 yards and seven touchdowns as a shorter-range Daniels target.

Deebo Samuel may take some looks from Ertz this season, but the 13th-year tight end should still be a prominent part of Kingsbury’s offense. Bates, 27, is regarded as a high-quality blocker at his position. Bringing experience without age concerns, Bates will be a vital part of the Commanders’ offense this season. His role has not fluctuated in four seasons. The 2021 fourth-rounder has played between 500 and 519 snaps each season.

Washington did not need Mariota to make any starts last season, representing a promising sign given Jayden Daniels‘ run-game usage. Yet, the former No. 2 overall pick still commanded a nice QB2 salary. Among backup signings this year, Mariota led the pack by a notable margin. Ex-Commander Jacoby Brissett‘s Cardinals deal came closest — at $6.25MM per year. Washington’s mobile backup completed 77.3% of his passes and presented a 4:0 TD-INT ratio in a 44-attempt season.

Igbinoghene re-signed but was soon shopped before last week’s roster-setting deadline. The former Dolphins first-rounder followed Quinn from Dallas and saw a career-high usage rate last season (818); his previous most was 287. But Washington added both Jonathan Jones and Trey Amos, which will minimize Igbinoghene’s role. PFF graded the sixth-year vet as the NFL’s second-worst CB regular in 2024, and backup duty awaits this year.

Notable losses:

Allen was among a handful of veterans given permission to seek a trade this offseason. The 49ers asked about him during the Samuel negotiations, but the sides could not agree on terms. Washington released Allen soon after, and he landed with the Vikings. Minnesota gave both Allen and Javon Hargrave soft landings after the DTs had become cap casualties. Allen signed a three-year, $51MM contract that came with $23MM guaranteed at signing.

A 2017 first-round pick, Allen teamed with ex-Alabama teammate Daron Payne for seven seasons. Payne remains on his four-year, $90MM deal — which runs through 2026 — but the Commanders did not want Allen back on a $22.47MM cap number. By releasing the two-time Pro Bowler in his contract year, Washington gained $16.47MM in cap space. Allen (42 career sacks) missed nine games due to a triceps injury last season, but the reliability gap between he and Kinlaw is rather wide.

Elsewhere on the D-line, the team jettisoned Ferrell months after re-signing him. The former top-five pick did not beat out Deatrich Wise and Jacob Martin in a position group that added Von Miller just before training camp. Fowler will be much more difficult to replace. The 2015 top-five pick registered a team-high 10.5 sacks, doing so despite playing for a fraction of what Dorance Armstrong is making. Fowler outproduced Armstrong 10.5-5 in sacks and 14-7 in tackles for loss (though, Armstrong’s 14 QB hits led the team last season). The 31-year-old vet rejoined the Cowboys on a one-year, $6MM contract.

Chinn helped restore his value in Washington, going from benched Panther to key Commanders starter. Last season, the former second-rounder logged 412 snaps in the box, 299 at free safety and 202 in the slot. After a 117-tackle, two-sack, five-pass deflection season, Chinn joined the Raiders on a two-year, $16.26MM contract. St-Juste, who saw his role reduced under Quinn, signed a one-year, $2.5MM Chargers deal.

Lucas, 34, spent the past five seasons in Washington. An oft-used swing tackle, Lucas made 38 starts with the team. He helped serve as a bridge to Brandon Coleman at left tackle last year, making seven starts during a season in which he logged 318 snaps at LT and 139 at RT. Hours after the Tunsil trade became known, Lucas signed with the Browns for a 12th NFL season.

Draft:

Conerly made a “30” visit to Washington and drew interest from other teams late in the first round. Both the Browns and Texans discussed trades that would have moved them back into Round 1, with Conerly the rumored target. Instead, the Commanders are making him an immediate starter and a player who will be a candidate to switch positions down the road.

The Commanders have found multiple stopgaps at left tackle, first adding Charles Leno before a gap year of sorts last season. The Tunsil trade could bring a second such measure, depending on how extension talks take shape in 2026. Judging by how they went with McLaurin, negotiations with a 32-year-old Tunsil next year figure to be eventful. Washington will look to Conerly as a long-term LT option, one the team has not had since the 2019 Trent Williams dispute. For now, the Oregon prospect will play opposite Tunsil.

A two-year starter at Oregon, Conerly showed improvement in Year 2 en route to first-team All-Big Ten acclaim and a third-team All-American landing spot. A Tunsil-Conerly tackle pairing brings more flash than Brandon Coleman–Andrew Wylie, but the Commanders have important depth options thanks to holding onto Wylie and Nick Allegretti.

Although Washington withstood Detroit’s counterattack in a divisional-round shootout with an injury-gutted Lions team, the Eagles smashed through their defense for an NFC championship game-record 55 points. Joe Whitt‘s first unit showed improvement from Jack Del Rio‘s finale, climbing from 32nd to 13th in total defense. Washington also ranked third in pass defense, albeit against a fairly easy schedule. Amos will be called upon to help, following Marshon Lattimore and Jonathan Jones as CB additions made since the start of last season.

Amos, who spent five years in college (at Louisiana, Alabama and Ole Miss), saw a back injury affect his draft stock. Viewed as a potential first-rounder, the 6-foot-1 defender dropped toward the end of Round 2. The Commanders’ previous regime came to regret its Emmanuel Forbes-over-Christian Gonzalez play, and the new regime cut Forbes in the second year of his contract. While Lattimore is 29 and required a Tunsil-like trade package to acquire at the 2024 deadline, he has missed 25 games over the past three seasons.

Two seasons remain on Lattimore’s Saints-designed extension, but the early returns on that trade — which sent third-, fourth- and sixth-rounders to New Orleans — were not good. Defending an SEC-best 16 passes last season, Amos joins 2024 second-rounder Mike Sainristil as part of Washington’s hopeful long-term inside-outside duo. Amos’ arrival is expected to keep Sainristil in the slot this season.

Other:

Kingsbury came up as a target for a few teams on this year’s HC carousel. The Bears, Cowboys, Jaguars and Saints showed interest in the rejuvenated play-caller, but no meetings commenced. Kingsbury, who rocketed from USC’s QBs coach back to a prominent NFL perch, told teams he would not interview until after the Commanders’ season ended. All interested teams but the Saints moved on, but Kingsbury still joined Mike McCarthy and Joe Brady in bowing out of that pursuit.

Fired months after he signed a Cardinals extension, Kingsbury is tied to another dynamic quarterback. Daniels appears to have a higher ceiling compared to Kyler Murray, and Washington’s 46-year-old play designer will assuredly remain a high-end HC candidate while he is tied to the dual-threat Commander.

Bobby Slowik‘s quick fall while mentoring C.J. Stroud does prove a cautionary tale, but Kingsbury — who was not exactly aggressive in pursuing NFL jobs in 2023 after his Arizona ouster — is willing to take his chances after an apathetic approach to upward mobility this year.

Newmark interviewed for both the Jets and Raiders’ GM jobs, garnering serious consideration for both. Having a Lions background is now a plus in coaching and executive searches, and the longtime Detroit exec-turned-Peters-aide nearly reunited with Aaron Glenn in New York. When the Raiders were trying to lure Ben Johnson to Las Vegas, Newmark was firmly in play in another pairing of ex-Lions staffers. But Johnson chose the Bears; the Raiders then pivoted from Newmark.

Given an extension late last summer, Cosmi has rewarded Washington for a second-round investment (2021). The tackle-turned-guard was the Commanders’ best O-lineman last season, and his divisional-round ACL tear represented one of the reasons for the team hitting a wall in Philadelphia (run defense: another reason).

Cosmi is out at least four games due to the PUP placement. While a return earlier than Week 5 was mentioned, Washington will give its long-term RG preference more time. The nine-month mark typically provides the early range for ACL recoveries; that does not arrive until mid-October.

Top 10 cap charges for 2025:

  1. Daron Payne, DT: $26.17MM
  2. Laremy Tunsil, LT: $21.35MM
  3. Marshon Lattimore, CB: $18MM
  4. Terry McLaurin, WR: $17.6MM
  5. Frankie Luvu, LB: $12.54MM
  6. Samuel Cosmi, G: $10.5MM
  7. Dorance Armstrong, DE: $10.18MM
  8. Tyler Biadasz, C: $9.17MM
  9. Bobby Wagner, LB: $9MM
  10. Jayden Daniels, QB: $8.58MM

Converting fourth downs at an NFL-best 78.95% rate last season, the Commanders also did not beat a playoff team in a game its starting QB finished until the playoffs. Washington went 1-4 against playoff-bound opposition last season, its only win coming in a game Kenny Pickett closed. The team has eight games against 2024 postseason teams this season and nine against clubs that won 10 games last year. Washington’s impressive 12-win season marked its best total since the dominant 1991 Super Bowl-winning team won 14 games; the franchise has not posted back-to-back double-digit win seasons since 1990-91. A follow-up will naturally be difficult.

But Tunsil and Samuel provide clear upgrades at key spots. The Conerly pick could make a key difference as the season progresses. Age-related concerns are warranted, but hitting on Daniels overshadows moderate roster issues. For the first time in ages, Washington looks to have a true franchise QB. In Year 2 of the post-Dan Snyder era, hopes should certainly be high in the nation’s capital as a result.

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