Commanders have one surprisingly expensive decision to make heading into 2026 NFL free agency
The Commanders need to decide whether to re-sign or move on from one key free agent wide receiver, which will dictate their offseason.
The Washington Commanders have no time or money to waste this offseason with 32 pending free agents and a lot of roster holes left to be filled.
The Commanders do have a top-5 salary cap in the NFL, with other moves available to create more space, which they’ll need. The NFL also saw a salary cap boost once again, and that’ll help teams retain their own free agents, but also heavily inflate contracts this offseason.
The Commanders will be one of the teams impacted by inflated contracts, and they’ll have to decide between paying a free agent or letting him walk.
Should the Commanders re-sign WR Deebo Samuel?
The Commanders have to rebuild the roster as they want to get younger and faster, and Deebo Samuel could be on his way out after one season in Washington. General manager Adam Peters traded a fifth-round pick for Samuel last offseason, which turned out to be a great value as he was the team’s leading receiver with 727 yards and five touchdowns.
Samuel was productive for the Commanders while both Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown missed significant time due to injuries. Should they bring Samuel back, however? His 2025 season might have been too productive, and an inflated market could have the Commanders out on re-signing him this offseason.
Deebo Samuel will have a strong market this offseason
The free agency group of wide receivers this offseason will be one of the weaker groups, with George Pickens and Alec Pierce very unlikely to hit the market. Teams could be targeting Samuel as a viable backup option and veteran presence instead of overpaying a younger player like Jalen Nailor or Wan’Dale Robinson.
The San Francisco 49ers have already started recruiting Samuel back home, and they won’t be the only team. PFF has Samuel heading to the Miami Dolphins and is expected to earn a two-year, $32 million deal this offseason.
This should put the Commanders out of Samuel’s market, and they should let him walk while looking for a younger option in free agency or the 2026 NFL Draft. Expect the Commanders to check in on Romeo Doubs’ market, or someone younger that could be cheaper or equal to Samuel’s market value this offseason.
Taking Carnell Tate with the No. 7 overall pick is on the table as well, and the draft has sleeper options in the later rounds as well. Paying Samuel $16-$18 million per year this offseason as a 30-year-old WR wouldn’t make sense after saying they want to get younger and faster.
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