Adam Peters’ past mistake turns into a blessing in disguise for Commanders this offseason, but he has to capitalize on it
The Commanders have the second-highest salary cap rollover heading into 2026, and Adam Peters has to spend in free agency.
The Washington Commanders started the offseason with multiple changes on the coaching staff after moving on from both coordinators.
In addition to the coaching staff changes, the roster will have plenty of turnover with additions and subtractions this offseason. General manager Adam Peters has a lot of decisions to make with pending free agents, and he will also have to bring some in, unlike last offseason.
The failure to be aggressive in free agency last offseason hurt the team’s season, but it was also a small blessing in disguise for this offseason if Peters takes advantage of it.
The Commanders have the second-highest salary cap rollover into 2026
We were all waiting for that big splash signing in free agency last year, and it just never happened. After a very conservative approach and budget spending, the Commanders are projected to carry over $23.8 million in salary cap space to the 2026 offseason. This is the second most in the NFL, and they’ll need every dollar.
I reached out to Over The Cap and asked if this rollover was already reflected in their salary cap numbers on their site. They said that it is, but it can obviously change slightly with the season still going on. The Commanders currently have the sixth-most salary cap space in the NFL, at $63.5 million. That number can change as well if the league’s base salary cap goes up again. The Commanders can also make multiple moves to increase it, such as releasing Marshon Lattimore to save another $18.5 million, and extending Laremy Tunsil to lower his 2026 salary cap hit.
Adam Peters needs to spend the money they have this time
The Commanders were in this situation last offseason, but Peters didn’t use the money available, and it was a wake-up call. Teams like the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears spent money in free agency and went the aggressive route in the offseason to support their young quarterbacks, and they went deep into the playoffs.
The roster is old, has the most pending free agents in the NFL, and needs an upgrade at many starting spots on both sides of the ball. It looks like a disaster on paper, but it’s very doable to take a major step this offseason in rebuilding the foundation of the roster, while swinging big on two or three free agents like Trey Hendrickson, Breece Hall, and Alec Pierce. The Commanders can’t go into the draft with multiple glaring needs again, like they did last offseason, and the majority of those needs remain.
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