LANDOVER, Md. — The Washington Commanders are charging into 2025 with a retooled roster and sky-high hopes after a 12-5 breakout in 2024 that landed them in the NFC Championship. General Manager Adam Peters isn’t resting on laurels—free agency’s first week has him juggling blockbuster trades, savvy re-signings, and a few goodbyes, all while eyeing the draft to cement this squad as Super Bowl contenders. With rookie sensation Jayden Daniels at the helm, the Burgundy and Gold are dreaming big.
Free agency kicked off with a bang. Peters snagged five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil from Houston, shipping out 2025 third- and seventh-round picks plus 2026 second- and fourth-rounders for Tunsil and a 2025 fourth. Then came wide receiver Deebo Samuel, a yards-after-catch dynamo from San Francisco, nabbed for a 2025 fifth-rounder. Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw inked a three-year, $45 million deal, bringing 4.5-sack muscle from the 49ers, while safety Will Harris joined on a two-year, $8 million pact from New Orleans. Cornerback Jonathan Jones (one-year), defensive tackle Eddie Goldman (one-year), and edge rusher Deatrich Wise (one-year, up to $5 million) round out the newcomers, bolstering depth.
The Commanders locked in familiar faces too. Linebacker Bobby Wagner’s back on a one-year, $9.5 million deal, his 132 tackles from 2024 too vital to lose. Tight end Zach Ertz, Daniels’ go-to with 66 catches, returns for one year at $6.25 million. Quarterback Marcus Mariota, the sage backup, signed for one year at $8 million, while tight end John Bates got a three-year extension. Running back Jeremy McNichols, a red-zone spark with three scores, and punter Tress Way, the franchise’s yardage king, each nabbed one-year deals. Kicker Zane Gonzalez and linemen Michael Deiter and Noah Brown also stayed, fortifying the core.
Losses sting, though. Safety Jeremy Chinn, a 117-tackle beast, bolted to the Raiders on a one-year deal, leaving a gap in the secondary. Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen was cut, ending an eight-year run of 108 starts. Slot corner Noah Igbinoghene and edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr., who led with 10.5 sacks, remain unsigned—Fowler’s a hot commodity elsewhere. Wideout Olamide Zaccheaus is also a free agent, thinning the receiver room.
Draft-wise, Washington holds the No. 29 pick after their playoff run, per the team’s site, plus second- and third-rounders from the Jahan Dotson trade. The Tunsil and Samuel deals trimmed their haul—no fourth-rounder of their own, just Houston’s—but they’ve got five picks total. Peters might trade back to recoup capital, a trick he’s pulled before.
Positions still nag. Edge rusher tops the list—Fowler’s exit and no big replacement leave Frankie Luvu (8 sacks) shouldering too much. Cornerback depth’s shaky with Igbinoghene unsigned and Chinn gone; Jones and Harris help, but youth’s needed opposite Marshon Lattimore. Wide receiver’s thin beyond Terry McLaurin, Samuel, and Luke McCaffrey—Brown’s injury history doesn’t scream reliability. Tight end could use a field-stretcher to pair with Ertz, who’s 35 in November.
Daniels’ 47 sacks in 2024 scream for line help—Tunsil’s a start, but guard depth’s dicey with Sam Cosmi’s injury past. Peters’ track record—flipping a 4-13 roster into contenders—suggests he’ll pounce in the draft, maybe targeting Clemson’s Barrett Carter for edge or Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams for the trenches. With the third-most cap space, per Over the Cap’s $272.5 million projection, the Commanders aren’t done swinging. Super Bowl or bust—that’s the vibe in Landover.
