Commanders could be at risk of losing key veteran free agent due to scarce NFL market this offseason
The Commanders could lose QB Marcus Mariota in free agency this offseason, with a weak selection of options for QB-needy teams.
The Washington Commanders need to nail free agency this offseason as a top-5 team in salary cap space, and build around Jayden Daniels for once.
They have the most pending free agents in the NFL as well, however, so they need to figure out a way to maneuver their roster. They’ll likely retain some of their own while searching for replacements on the market.
One veteran they’ll likely love to retain may have too strong a market to stay with the Commanders due to extremely low supply and high demand.
Commanders could lose QB Marcus Mariota this offseason
As always, it’s another NFL offseason where multiple teams are looking for an answer at quarterback. This is an awful offseason to need a quarterback with a very weak free agency group and a very limited 2026 NFL Draft class as well.
PFF has veteran QB Marcus Mariota as the No. 68 overall free agent this offseason, and he’s in the top three or four realistic options for a team this offseason.
Green Bay Packers QB Malik Willis will be the top option in free agency, and then teams are stuck with Daniel Jones and Mariota. Mariota could be a one-year bridge QB for a team that still drafts a QB prospect, and he could help mentor them as he did for Jayden Daniels.
The QB class is top-heavy with Fernando Mendoza projected to go No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, and the rest is a wildcard. Ty Simpson could sneak into the first round, but he’s not a lock by any means. Dante Moore and Trinidad Chambliss returning to school threw a wrench in the plans of a lot of teams looking for their franchise QB.
I’d expect a team like the Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, or Atlanta Falcons to check in on Mariota as a starter or a backup plan for their own QB issues.
The Commanders can’t afford to lose Marcus Mariota
Losing Mariota wouldn’t be the ned of the world for the Commanders, but it’s definitely less than ideal. Daniels will be learning a new system under offensive coordinator David Blough this offseason, and Mariota would be a great on-field mentor with his experience in multiple offenses.
We also saw how much the Commanders had to lean on Mariota with Daniels’ injuries in 2025. Obviously, you don’t expect that to repeat in 2026, but playing in 11 games when he was projected to just be a backup is pretty notable. Mariota will have to decide if he wants to take one more shot at a start somewhere else as he turns 33 years old, or return with Blough and step up when he’s called on.
Mariota wasn’t perfect by any means, but he can run the offense, he has a connection to Daniels and Blough, and can win games if the Commanders need him to. We’ve seen how important a backup quarterback is over the last few seasons, and the Commanders don’t have another option behind Mariota. Spotrac has him projected to make around $5 million in free agency, but a team could overpay that if they need to.
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