Commanders’ concerning pattern continues during NFL free agency period, which raises major red flags
The Commanders’ plans for free agency haven’t gone as they hoped, and it’s raising more questions than answers this offseason.
Before free agency, all we heard from NFL insiders around the league was that the Washington Commanders were prepared to take massive swings and expected fireworks.
Well, after the first 24 hours of the NFL’s two-day negotiation window before free agency officially kicks off, we heard about how active the Commanders have actually been. They swung with big offers for WR Alec Pierce, C Tyler Linderbaum, and WR Romeo Doubs. The problem, however, is that they didn’t land a single one.
This has sent the fan base into a frenzy, and it definitely raises major concerns about why players are picking other teams instead of Washington.
Commanders continue to miss on top free agents
After a boring and conservative free agency period last season, we heard and expected a different offseason from general manager Adam Peters. We can’t say he didn’t try, and Peters swung on the biggest names at pivotal positions, but finished second place on all of them. The Commanders did land EDGE Odafe Oweh to a massive contract, but the swings at WR and center after releasing Tyler Biadasz have been disappointing.
The Commanders were the top option for Pierce if he were to leave Indianapolis, according to ESPN’s John Keim, but he stayed with the Colts. Then, we learned that the Commanders made the highest offer to Linderbaum, according to Albert Breer, just for the Las Vegas Raiders to raise their offer to an insane $27 million per year. The latest miss is Doubs, who was down to the Commanders and New England Patriots, and he decided to join Drake Maye over Jayden Daniels, according to many insiders.
You don’t get anything for finishing in second place, and the Commanders need to continue to keep swinging and then look to the NFL Draft. The Commanders are running out of options in free agency now, and they need to look at the big picture of why they’re in this situation.
Why the Commanders are missing on top free agents
Money clearly isn’t an issue, so save that excuse for somebody else. The Commanders have offered market-setting offers to players they’ve missed on, according to multiple reports, but players chose the other option almost every single time. Looking at the state of the Commanders, they’re coming off a 5-12 season where they were embarrassed multiple times.
Aside from just losing, they have two new coordinators who have never been coordinators in the NFL before, and there’s a lot of unknown there. Head coach Dan Quinn also has his own uncertainties, so why would players want to dive into an unideal situation, even if the money was good?
The Commanders need to get back to winning, show who they really are, and players will want to come here, and not just older veterans who know Quinn. The younger, rising players want to play for flashy, polarizing, rising coaches, and maybe David Blough can be that guy.
Washington Commanders News
Commanders 2026 NFL Free Agency Tracker: Every free agent signing, in-house return, and release made by Washington
Every move the Commanders make during the 2026 NFL free agency period, including big-splash signings, in-house returns, and surprise releases.
