The 2025-26 season ended with the Seattle Seahawks defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. Team’s that have been out of playoff contention have been looking towards next season, and how they can improve their rosters to get closer to winning a championship. That will start in March with free agency, and then the draft will provide a new crop of NFL talent.
The Washington Commanders finished the season with a 5-12 record, and replaced both coordinators to get a fresh start under head coach Dan Quinn. General manager Adam Peters is entering his third offseason with the team, and he’ll have a lot of work to do to get the team back to the NFC Championship Game like the team did in year one. The Commanders have 34 pending free agents with three of them restricted. The team currently has ~$76 million in cap space, but there could be big changes to that number if LT Laremy Tunsil and DT Daron Payne get new contracts.
There were already big changes coming due to the amount of 1-year deals the team has been signing to fill the roster. There could also be several players, either under contract or pending free agents, that won’t be fits in the new schemes. Deebo Samuel and Bobby Wagner are some of the big “known” names on the Commanders free agent list. Washington traded for Samuel, and his contract voids next month. He was the lead receiver due to injuries to Terry McLaurin and most of the WR corps. Wagner continued his Hall of Fame career, but Adam Peters has already talked about getting younger and faster.
The Commanders need major upgrades on defense, and there is expected to be several signings to rebuild that side of the ball. Peters spent a lot of resources on offense in his first two seasons, building around franchise QB Jayden Daniels. Injuries to Daniels and others derailed a season that began with high hopes.
How many pending free agents should the Commanders re-sign?
Commanders pending free agents 2026
QB Marcus Mariota
QB Josh Johnson
QB Jeff Driskel
WR Deebo Samuel Sr
WR Treylon Burks
WR Noah Brown
WR Chris Moore
WR Robbie Chosen
TE Zach Ertz
RB Austin Ekeler
RB Jeremy McNichols
RB Chase Edmonds
T Trent Scott
T George Fant
T Lucas Niang
G/T Andrew Wylie
G Chris Paul
LB Bobby Wagner
CB Jonathan Jones
EDGE Deatrich Wise
EDGE Jacob Martin
EDGE Preston Smith
OLB Von Miller
DT Eddie Goldman
CB Noah Igbinoghene
DT Sheldon Day
CB Antonio Hamilton
DE Jalyn Holmes
EDGE Drake Jackson
DT Shy Tuttle
P Tress Way
Restricted free agents
RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.
TE Tyree Jackson
K Jake Moody